


Against the Mirror

by Kittah



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Reverse Pines, revpines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-01-27 02:24:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 55,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1711544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittah/pseuds/Kittah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With this spell, obtaining the first journal would be a snap. Gideon Gleeful casts an enchantment meant to exchange his life and role as a Gleeful, with the lives and roles of the Pines twins. As Gideon Pines, he'd be given free range to search the Mystery Shack, right under Stan's nose. Of course, this would be easier if his memories had come along with him. A Reverse Pines fic.</p><p>Gideon Pines, a 12-year-old boy from Texas, is sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon, to spend the summer with his great-uncle Stan. The town is strange: its locals, stranger. He slowly finds himself more and more involved in the paranormal as he befriends Gravity Falls native Pacifica Northwest and finds an enemy in the Gleeful Twins. As he gets deeper into the strangeness of the town, he discovers the entirety of Gravity Falls - including him - is under some sort of spell, and he is determined to break it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Aw yeah, here it is, my first multi-chapter fic. I'll be cross-posting this to both FF and AO3 (same pen name) so you can read on whichever you prefer. This fic will be a conglomerate of any and all Reverse Pines elements from the same tag on tumblr - with a whole lot of my own thrown in. Hope you guys enjoy~

**Against the Mirror - Prologue**

 

The spell didn’t seem _that_ complicated. At least, not considering what he wanted to accomplish with it. He’d seen his fair share of spells, and probably a lot of other folk’s share of spells. Heck, he’d definitely cast his fair share of spells. He knew a complicated conjuring when he saw one.

 

Looking over the laundry list of ingredients, incantations, and instructions that had to be followed precisely, however, had him grudgingly admitting that maybe the spell he’d scrounged up _did_ fall a fair throw short of ‘simple’. It would be tricky to pull off, even for him, but the promised outcome was well worth the effort. When he considered the result, the spellwork seemed almost easy in comparison. Surely it wasn’t anything he couldn’t perform if he put his mind to it.

 

Gideon Gleeful reclined in his office chair with a smug smile stretched across his face. Handwritten notes littered his desk. The flow of words across the many pages was interrupted by the occasional diagram, each one more complex than the last. In the center of the information hurricane sat a battered maroon book, closed.

 

The second journal - his secret weapon. The journal had made him privy to plenty of the magical mysteries of Gravity Falls. From it, he’d learned of the amulet that had granted him telekinetic powers (that is, until Mabel Pines smashed it to pieces). He’d read every guide it offered on creatures of fantasy. He’d heard of mystical trinkets carrying both curses and blessings. There were seemingly endless, untold secrets hidden around the town, even summoning rituals for spirits and demons of unimaginable power. The journal held enough arcane knowledge to keep him busy for months.

 

Still, the journal didn’t know everything.

 

Gideon ran a chubby finger along the cover of the journal, tracing the thick line of the emblazoned digit. This journal was only the second in a set. How many there were in total, he had no idea. As far as he knew, there could be dozens - though he doubted it. He’d combed through the pages of his treasured book enough times to have whole sections memorized. He knew well enough what the pages did and did not contain.

 

For example, the journal hadn’t told him anything about the strange size-altering crystals of the forest (although the Pines twins had shown him their effects well enough on their own - not that it had helped him get the upper hand in the end). Certainly there were creatures around Gravity Falls that the book hadn’t spoken of as well; he was sure he’d seen a gnome on the front lawn weeks ago. Additionally, some of the secrets of the book were encrypted in various codes, woven into the entries amidst the plain English text. He hadn’t had too much trouble cracking the simpler ones. Of course, even with all his searching through the journal, he hadn’t found the one secret he wanted most: the location of the first journal.

 

Sure, book two had a few clues on where to look for the first book tucked away in its pages - all of which pointed to the property the Mystery Shack rested on. If there had been an exact location mentioned, it would be less of an ordeal to try and sneak around and unearth it. Of course, that was assuming no one else had gotten to it first. He needed that first journal. The second on its own wasn’t enough - there was a bigger secret he couldn’t unveil without the complete set. Even Gideon wasn’t sure what uniting the journals could unleash. It was something unimaginably powerful. Something the author of the journals was reluctant to explain.

 

It was too tempting to ignore. If there was one thing that Gideon Gleeful wanted his hands on, it was power. Especially of the unimaginable calibre.

 

And so began his many attempts to wrestle the Mystery Shack from that charlatan, Stanford Pines. He needed to look over the grounds at his leisure if he hoped to find the elusive first journal.

 

Plan after plan had crumbled like walls of sand against the sea. Nothing he tried proved fruitful. The Mystery Shack remained just beyond his grasp. Stan Pines was tenacious: a lying, thieving, tenacious, con man. Somehow Gideon always ended up bested by that crook.

 

This time would be different. This time there was no way Stanford Pines could stop Gideon from infiltrating the Mystery Shack, and it was all thanks to this spell. If he could successfully cast it, he wouldn’t need to worry about having to out-con Stanford.

 

It hadn’t been easy to find. The spell had only been alluded to in the journal. Apparently the author hadn’t been interested in casting it himself - though Gideon couldn’t blame him for his lack of curiosity. Gideon wasn’t sure if he’d be up to the task if he didn’t have a good reason to try his hand at this spell. He supposed it would be interesting, though a lot of effort for a lark. It was a curious spell.

 

The journal had explained the spell’s function _just_ well enough to pique his interest. Hunting down the rest was up to him. Outside sources weren’t always as reliable as the journal, he’d found before, but he was determined. With enough searching, he’d unearthed instructions that matched up with the vague explanation offered by the journal. He had double- and triple-checked his sources to ensure the spells were indeed a match. He was certain of it. The strangely specific terms describing the spell were consistent. It could only be the spell the journal mentioned; all his research had finally borne fruit.

 

It was a “switching” spell, so to speak. Not in a literal sense - he might have been less tempted to try the spell if it meant ending up in someone else’s body. No, this spell was a little different, judging by the careful terms both the journal and spell used. This spell talked about “roles” and “rewriting” - about taking someone else’s place for yourself in exchange for your own. How easy would it be to slip into the Mystery Shack as a Pines instead of a Gleeful?

 

Gideon had carefully looked over the spell to ensure he wasn’t misunderstanding the premise. But no, it had been clear: you took the life of someone else and, in turn, they took on yours.

 

He’d spent some time considering how to go about this switch. His first intended victim had been obvious. If he swapped lives with Stanford Pines, he would be the proprietor of the Mystery Shack. That would be the simplest way to land the deed to the shack in his hands. However, after a bit more cautious thinking, he shied away from that idea. The spell might swap their ages too, and precious Lil Gideon had no interest in a first-class ticket to senior citizenship.

 

Of course, there was more than one way into the Mystery Shack - in fact, the next two he thought of seemed perfect for the task at hand. There didn’t appear to be anything saying you couldn’t swap places with _two_ people. Quite conveniently, both twins shared the “role” he had in mind. He could become Gideon Pines, great-nephew to his great enemy, Stanford Pines. He’d be right under the old fool’s nose and the con man would be none the wiser as he rooted around for the hidden first journal. It was perfect.

 

With his great plan finally formed, Gideon had gathered the necessary components for the spell and set about starting up the ritual. His office was stocked full of various candles and herbs, which seemed to be a staple of most magic rituals. There were a few other things that he gathered for the specific spell - a few different types of stones, two plain, full length mirrors, and some chalk for drawing connections between the components in certain ways. Most importantly - and with great difficulty - he obtained some personal items of the twins’. To represent Mabel, he’d managed to snag one of her stuffed animals. And as for Dipper, he’d taken one of his mystery novels practically from under his nose.

 

All that was left to do now was to perform the spell.

 

Gideon pushed his chair from his desk, standing to survey the carefully crafted casting circle he’d created. The candles were lit and the herbs had been crumbled in their precise places. Within the midst of everything, the two mirrors stood, backs flush to one another. On the side that faced himself, he’d placed the Tent of Telepathy’s star symbol, sure that the symbol would represent himself well enough. On the opposite side of the mirror, Dipper’s book and Mabel’s plushie sat. Everything was ready. He was ready.

 

From his pocket he pulled a folded sheet of paper. He’d written out the words needed for the spell, and filled in the places he needed to specify names. Once he recited this, the little town of Gravity Falls would be “rewritten”, casting himself as the charming Gideon Pines, the young hero who always seemed to outfox the Gleeful twins, even when they had greater power and certainly greater charisma in their court. He scoffed at the thought.

 

He flexed his fingers and stretched, steeling himself for the spell. As he focused on his reflection in the mirror, he spoke:

 

“ _Accipe sui. Abrogare vita mea. Rescribo mea personam._ Gideon Gleeful. _Creare novum hominem mea._ Gideon Pines. _Reponi pro his populo_. Dipper and Mabel Pines. _Eorum novum creare ipsum._ Dipper and Mabel Gleeful. _Recreare_ Gravity Falls. _Perficere transitum. Rescribo_ Gravity Falls _cum haec nova munera_.”

 

As he was speaking, the room seemed to darken around him. His reflection in the mirror seemed to darken as well. His suit was fading, shifting, rearranging itself. The pale blue polyester twisted, the arms darkening into a black sweater. A light blue vest (much like the one Dipper himself wore) wove itself into existence. His suit pants became shorts, and his finely styled hair sprung away from its gelled confines and fluffed out messily. A baseball cap appeared on his reflection’s head, nearly identical to Dipper Pines’ hat, save for the lighter shade of blue. The spell was working - he was taking Dipper’s place!

 

Still, something seemed… off. His head felt heavy - his mind, dark. Just as the blackness seemed to be spreading throughout the room, so too did it seem to spread through his body. Perhaps this was just the spell taking effect, he thought, churning the words out again with a clumsier tongue. The notes he’d found in various old occult books didn’t describe the experience of the spell taking hold.

 

The air in the room grew heavier still as he repeated the spell for the third and final time. His mind was foggy - was he still in his office? Did he have an office? The strange smell of herbs and candles was comforting - though it was unusually dark in this apparently candlelit room.

 

His tongue almost tripped on the final few syllables of the spell, but he managed to get them out without slipping up. He felt a smile twitch at his lips once he’d finished. That was it, now he just had to wait for the spell to take complete effect.

 

Gideon blinked, his eyelids growing ever more heavy. The mirror in front of him seemed to flicker for a moment. His head drooped and he barely managed to catch himself before he stumbled. Someone’s plushie and mystery book were at his sneakered feet - he didn’t think they were his. He couldn’t quite remember where they’d come from or to whom they belonged. Names of people he knew or used to know - they were on the tip of his tongue.

 

His head was so heavy, when had he last slept? He toyed with the zipper of his vest and forced his gaze back up to his reflection.

 

The room around him - was he still in a room? - had gone completely dark. The only thing he could see now was the mirror he’d set up. His reflection was strangely unfamiliar. It was him, but… he was wearing a suit he’d never seen before. And that hair - he’d never comb it up like that, would he?

 

All at once, the weight on his mind became too much. Consciousness was swept away from him, and Gideon fell forward to crash silently through his strange reflection in the mirror.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally done editing chapter 1! I am super excited to post, but also nervous. Since this is officially in revpines territory now, all the reverse characters are heavily headcanoned. So, I hope I've portrayed them in a way that is interesting! Every chapter here on out will proceed like an "episode" of GF. Happy reading!

**Against the Mirror - Chapter 1**

 

Gideon Pines was not a happy camper. His summer vacation had finally kicked off - he should have been pleased as punch with his freshly granted freedom. Of course, his parents deciding it would ‘do him some good’ to ship him up to Oregon after only a week of summer break had put a damper on things.

 

He was to be spending the summer visiting his great-uncle Stan. After a bit of consideration, it was definitely the lesser of two evils. His mother had been prattling on about some ‘ _fitness_ and _athletics_ summer camp’ (which Gideon’s mind quickly translated to ‘fat camp’). Gideon didn’t have a terrible interest in _fitness_ and very much had _no_ interest in athletics, much less doing any sports outside in the scalding Texas summer sun, so Oregon it was.

 

And so his parents had pried away his video games and had him pack rather modestly to spend the next two months in a little town called Gravity Falls. One mind-gratingly long plane ride later, he found himself in the next nearest city in Oregon. One even less thrilling bus ride later, he’d made it to the town he’d be calling home for the summer.

 

His great-uncle was waiting for him at the bus station when he arrived. He’d met the man only once before, and he’d been very young at the time. But there was no mistaking that it was him waiting just outside the terminal, wearing a tacky Hawaiian print shirt and a broad grin plastered across his face. He was waving as Gideon approached, and Gideon offered a glorified flop of his arm in return.

 

“Hey there kiddo, good to see ya!” Stan said once Gideon had dragged himself within speaking distance.

 

“Hey.” Gideon said, not feeling bothered enough to fake a smile. Spending five hours riding from Texas to Oregon hadn’t exactly been exhilarating, especially after waking up to catch his plane before the sun had cleared the horizon. _Extra_ especially since his parents had made sure he left his handheld games at home. His Fight Fighters pocket edition would have at least kept some of the boredom at bay. He was exhausted.

 

“Let me get that for you, there we go.” Stan said as he plucked Gideon’s suitcase from him and tossed it into the backseat of his car. “C’mon, let’s hit the road here. The Shack’s waiting, I got a room all set up for you and everything.”

 

Gideon sighed as he quickly slipped into the passenger side of the car, resigned to another stretch of god-knows-how-long riding around until they reached the final destination. Just as quickly, his great-uncle Stan had plunked down into the driver’s seat and was starting up the car.

 

“So how are your parents these days?” he asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

 

He should have expected the small talk, Gideon thought with a barely suppressed sigh. He was tired and _bored_ and didn’t have any spare brainpower to put toward being social. Still, his parents expected him on his best behaviour. “They’re fine.” he answered shortly, resting his head against the car window.

 

“I don’t hear from you guys enough, you know! They should’ve come down with you to visit their favourite uncle.”

 

“Yeah. It’s a long plane ride I guess.” Gideon shrugged.

 

“Psh, what a couple of chumps. I used to travel a lot more when I was their age, you know - well, I guess I shouldn’t say a _lot_ , but that’s how I got a bunch of the knickknacks for the Shack.”

 

Gideon shrugged again, not sure what to say in reply. The silence didn’t last long. Stan forced a laugh and gave him a side look as they rounded a sharp corner. “Wait ‘til you see the Shack. How long has it been since you were down? It must’ve been years ago - you were just a kid - well, I mean, you’re _still_ a kid. How old are you now anyway? Eight?”

 

“I’m twelve, great-uncle Stan.” Gideon said, shooting him an uneasy glance.

 

“I was pretty close.” Stan said, taking a hand off the steering wheel to give a short wave of deference. “You’re growing up fast, huh? Anyway, like I was saying, it’s been ages since you’ve seen the place. I’ve got some great local folklore displays, and all kinds of stuff set up for other exhibits. You loved that stuff when you visited last.”

 

Gideon couldn’t remember if he ‘loved that stuff’ when he and his family visited here last. He’d only been five at the time, and the clearest memory he had was of accidentally getting pinned beneath a large taxidermied bear with bright red eyes and giant claws. That might have had something to do with why he hadn’t been to visit since the occasion. Getting a face-full of snarling stuffed bear teeth seemed to have overwritten any interest he had in his great-uncle’s trinkets.

 

“We’re just about there.” Stan said, not allowing the silence in the car to last long.

 

“‘Kay.” Gideon said, still leaning heavily against the car window.

 

“I’ve got a small welcoming gift for you, too, once we get there.” Stan said excitedly. “Nothing big, but I hope you’ll like it.”

 

Gideon sincerely hoped it wasn’t any kind of stuffed demon bear.

 

\---

 

Gideon listened to Stan chatter for the rest of the short jaunt between the bus terminal and the Mystery Shack. The drive had probably only taken a grand total of fifteen minutes, but it felt like ages since he’d had the chance to be properly on his feet. The plane and bus ride had given him ample time for sitting around and waiting to get from point A to B. Now he’d finally get the chance to sit around by his own agenda.

 

He couldn’t quite remember what the Mystery Shack had looked like when he visited last, but apparently what little memory he had had been embellished. Clearly Mystery _Shack_ was terribly apropos to the state of the establishment. Paint was peeling, shingles were missing, the stairs leading to the entrance looked ready to fall in if a hard enough breeze coaxed them - even the ‘S’ in the Mystery Shack sign had fallen away.

 

Gideon stared for a moment, standing just outside Stan’s car with his suitcase in hand. His great-uncle was already strolling off toward the Shack, apparently eager to show his great-nephew around. This was where he would be spending the next two months of his life. Did this place even have electricity? Indoor plumbing? (A quick glance around revealed an outhouse stationed not too far from the Shack, which didn’t seem too promising).

 

“Hey kid, are you coming or what?” Stan called, having already reached the front porch.

 

Gideon forced his legs forward, dragging his suitcase along through the dirt as he went. Carefully, he tiptoed up the stairs, aware of how they seemed to groan and sink as he ascended. Stan had already disappeared through the entrance. With one last look at the shabby state of the deck, he followed suit, stepping into the entry of the Mystery Shack.

 

The Shack wasn’t quite as dingy on the inside - in fact, it looked fairly well kept. It even smelled refreshing, like pine sap and sandalwood. A quick survey of the room showed shelves and bins full of trinkets and baubles. The walls were lined with tourist-attracting merchandise. Some of it was themed after the town itself - he spied several shirts with ‘Gravity Falls’ decoratively printed across a tree-filled background. Most of the things, however, seemed to have a more magical or paranormal air about them. There was a wall of different kinds of charms and talismans, a shelf full of guidebooks, local photography, short stories, and other folksy tales. Off in one of the corners he noticed - with an indiscernible shudder - a bin of plushie animals, each with either glowing eyes, claws, fangs, or some gruesome combination of the three.

 

He caught sight of Stan nearby the checkout counter, rifling through hats on a hat rack. A black-haired teenager sat behind the counter, clad in a button-down shirt and idly thumbing through some thick book. When Gideon glanced over, the teen looked up and gave him a smile and a small wave before turning his eyes upon the tome again.

 

 

“Here, this one’s perfect for you. Looks like it matches that vest of yours pretty well.” Stan said, taking a light blue and white baseball cap from the rack and holding it out toward Gideon.

 

“Uh, thanks.” Gideon said, taking the hat. It had a little blue pine tree on the front - lots of the merchandise here seemed to be emblazoned with pines - and the tag inside the hat read ‘Gravity Falls, Mystery Shack’.

 

“Just a little gift for you to welcome you to the town!” Stan said as Gideon gave the hat a quick glance over. “I figured, what better way to really become part of the town than to have a bit of Gravity Falls merchandise for yourself?”

 

If there was ever a way to blend into a new town, Gideon figured it wouldn’t be by wearing regalia from the local tourist trap. Still, he placed the cap on his head and gave a small smile to try and match Stan’s grin.

 

“So, uh, great-uncle Stan, where do I put my stuff?”

 

Stan motioned toward the stairs visible further into the Shack. “Bring it upstairs, there’s a room put together in the attic, first door right on the landing. And enough of that ‘great-uncle’ thing, that’s a bit of a mouthful,” Stan said, rubbing his chin. “How about you condense it to just ‘Grunkle’, huh? That’s pretty catchy, don’t you think?”

 

“Sure.” Gideon shrugged, lugging his suitcase along behind him as he trudged through the living room. The stairs inside were much less rickety and didn’t look about ready to give out under him, making his climb much less frightening than the stairs outside. There were quite a few stairs leading up to the attic, however, and he was panting by the time he’d managed to drag his weighty suitcase to the top.

 

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Gideon pushed open the door closest to him. Presumably, this was the room Stan had cleaned up for him. He dragged his suitcase along with him, his eyes appraising the room in the attic. It wasn’t too bad, as far as rooms went. It was actually pretty sizeable - definitely bigger than his room at home at any rate. There was a lot of empty space, which probably helped the room seem bigger than it actually was. A small bed had been tucked into the corner of the room with a side-table sidled up next to it. Another corner of the room was quite cluttered with boxes filled with old junk - paintings, books, and musty old blankets were a few of the things visible from where he stood. The room was probably being used for storage before his arrival.

 

Gideon threw his suitcase up onto the nearest surface and walked over to stare out the window. His room in the attic overlooked the front of the Shack. From here it would probably be easy to watch for tourists coming and going. Further out he could see dense stretches of coniferous forest throughout and around the town itself. It was no wonder the pine tree symbol seemed so ubiquitous on all the local merchandise; the town was surrounded by the trees.

 

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Gideon turned and watched Grunkle Stan as he approached. “Not too shabby, huh?” he said, gesturing around the room. “I’m gonna have to leave you for a bit to get settled in, I’ve got a couple tours to go run. You can go introduce yourself to Robbie downstairs or unpack or go explore… whatever it is you wanna do.”

 

Gideon nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

 

Stan nodded in return. “If you feel like it, you can help out at the Shack while you’re visiting for the summer. I can always use some extra help around here!”

 

“Sounds good to me.” Gideon shrugged. Might as well keep himself busy helping Stan, he wasn’t sure what else he’d be doing for two months.

 

“Alright then! See you later tonight kiddo, don’t get into too much trouble.” Stan said, giving Gideon a short salute before turning and heading right back downstairs.

 

Gideon stood for a moment staring at the empty doorway before turning away himself. His stuff still needed to be unpacked, but he supposed that could wait. Suddenly, after the exhaustingly boring trip across the country, he was feeling oddly fidgety. Stan had mentioned the name of who he presumed was the teen he’d seen at the cash register, but it hadn’t quite stuck. Maybe he’d go introduce himself to the guy. If the boy worked here, he supposed he’d be seeing a lot of him.

 

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Gideon made for the stairs.

 

The black-haired teen was in the same place he’d been when Gideon first came in. He was marginally farther in his book (though it was difficult to tell with the thickness of the novel in his hands). The floorboards squeaked when Gideon stepped into the souvenir shop and the teenager glanced up in response.

 

Gideon raised his hand in a small wave and the other boy smiled in return, bookmarking his novel and setting it aside. “Hey,” Gideon said, walking closer to the checkout counter. “My name’s Gideon, I’m Stan’s great-nephew.”

 

“Hey Gideon, you can call me Robbie.” the teen said, holding out his hand for Gideon to shake, which Gideon did, tentatively. “Mr. Pines told me to expect you, but he didn’t actually say all that much about you. Your family lives in Texas?”

 

“Yeah, about an hour south of Dallas.”

 

“That’s cool. You excited to spend the summer with your great-uncle?”

 

Gideon shrugged. “I guess. I don’t really know him. Or anyone here.” He raised a hand to itch the back of his head, meeting the fabric of the cap instead. With a frown, he pulled the hat from his head and hesitantly set it on the counter.

 

Robbie glanced from Gideon to the hat now resting beside his book. “Not all that fond of baseball caps?”

 

Gideon bit his lip and gave a quick shrug. “No, I dunno, it’s just… a bit too touristy, don’t you think?”

 

“Well, you are kind of a tourist, aren’t you?”

 

“I don’t wanna spend my summer being known as ‘the tourist kid’.” he said with a huff.

 

Robbie gave him a small smile. “This is actually a pretty popular tourist hotspot - you wouldn’t look too out of place wearing Mystery Shack merchandise here over the summer.”

 

Gideon shrugged again, side-eyeing the hat but making no move to retrieve it.

 

“Well,” Robbie said once he was sure Gideon had nothing else to add, “Mr. Pines has been pretty excited over you coming up to visit him for the summer. I don’t think he gets to see his family very often - you guys are a bit scattered over the country, huh?”

 

“A bit, I guess. Most of us are in Texas.” Gideon said dismissively, not terribly interested in talking about his family. “So… you work here?”

 

“Yep, wanted a summer job so I can start saving up for college - figured this would be as good a place as any.” Robbie said, smiling a little bigger now. “In fact, it’s better than I hoped. The Mystery Shack has a lot of interesting stuff to show off, and Mr. Pines thinks it’s great when I embellish the folklore a bit to the tourists. Helps to sell more stuff.”

 

“So you get paid to lie to people?” Gideon said with a skeptical look.

 

“Not _lie_ , really, just embellish. And it’s all folk tales and stuff, I mean, none of the tourists really believe half the junk they hear around here. It’s all for show. They’re here to be entertained, and on the off-chance that they really _will_ see something out of this world.”

 

Gideon glanced around the shop, still looking unconvinced. “Have _you_ ever seen anything weird around Gravity Falls?”

 

“Me?” Robbie pointed to himself. “Well… I haven’t seen anything personally, but a bunch of my friends swear that the old abandoned convenience store on Oak Street is haunted by a family of poltergeists. Not that they’ve seen them personally, either. I think we’re all supposed to go some time and check it out. How about you? Ever seen any spooks around where you’re from?”

 

Gideon shook his head. “Never. Guess I’m not much of a ghost magnet.”

 

“Well, you do hear things around town sometime. Maybe you’ll run into a demon of some kind or another over the summer.” Robbie grinned.

 

Gideon eased out a quiet laugh, glancing shiftily toward the bin of clawed and fanged plushies. “I reckon the only demons I’ll be seeing around here are gonna be stuffed ones.”

 

Robbie reached for his book. “Well, things are a little slow here right now, but once Mr. Pines runs through a few tours in the Shack, people will start filling in to buy stuff. You wanna stick around and watch?”

 

“... Not really.” Gideon said, glancing back toward the stairs. “Maybe I should unpack.”

 

“You could always save that for later. I mean, no offense little man, but you look really wound up.” Robbie said, motioning toward Gideon with his free hand. “Taking a quick walk around town would be more interesting than unloading your stuff. Maybe you’ll meet some of the local kids, everyone’s out for summer after all.”

 

Gideon _did_ still feel tense from travelling, but he wasn’t sure if going out to explore the town would be the thing to calm him. He still was feeling ambivalent toward being here in the first place. He didn’t know anyone in Oregon - he barely knew his great-uncle.

 

“Go on.” Robbie said. “I mean, you don’t even have to go through the town. There’s lots and lots of trails through the woods, if you feel like going on a hike.”

 

“Yeah,” Gideon said, reluctantly latching onto the notion, “I think I’ll take a walk.” With his eyes on the thick forest beyond the window, he walked past the checkout counter and toward the door. “Thanks for the idea.”

 

“Hey, don’t forget your hat.” Robbie called after him, standing up from behind the counter and picking up the hat Gideon had left. He waved it toward the retreating boy.

 

Gideon glanced over his shoulder and bit his lip. “Er… just hold onto it for now, will ya? I’ll… pick it up later.”

 

Robbie quirked his mouth, settling back down into the chair and plopping the hat back down before him. “Alright, if you’re sure.”

 

“I like it.” Gideon assured, biting his tongue and hoping he sounded sincere. “It’s just too…”

 

“Touristy.”

 

“Yeah. Uh, how late are you here ‘til, anyway?” Gideon asked.

 

“Usually four or five - I work later if there’s late tours. You planning on staying out long?”

 

“No, no. I’ll see you in a bit.” Gideon said, giving the teen a small wave on his way out the door.

 

“Don’t get eaten by any monsters!” Robbie called after him. Gideon sighed to himself once he shut the front door behind him. Being eaten by a beastie of some kind or another might make an interesting story - not that he’d be around to tell it. The notion alone did seem more exciting than spending two months in a quiet, do-nothing town like Gravity Falls.

 

Gideon cautiously tiptoed down the rickety front steps and stopped for a moment to choose a few cherry-sized stones from the driveway. He stuffed them into his pocket before setting off down the walkway that led into the town proper.

 

\---

 

There had been a couple trails into the forest right outside the Mystery Shack, but Gideon wanted to at least get a glance at the town before setting off on a short hike. The town itself was small - though no smaller than he’d expected. Still, it was easy to tell the place was a tourist hotspot. The streets were getting crowded already, even though summer had only just begun. Even from where he stood, he could see bright signs advertising different sights and sales. The town at least looked like a place that knew how to put on a show.

 

It was all a bit too tacky for him. These days folktales only served to make him roll his eyes - you’ve heard one alien abduction story, you’ve heard them all.

 

A few not-so-far-off shouts had him recalling Robbie’s suggestion to meet some new people. All the local kids seemed to be out enjoying the start of their holiday. There were boys and girls around his age scattered where he could see; a few were tossing a baseball around, a couple carrying a bucket of chalk to their sidewalk of choice, a pair of kids with precariously piled ice cream cones.

 

He turned his back on the scene, sizing up the forest that lay beyond. Most of the land seemed to be covered in stretches of thick conifer forest. Other trees cropped up here and there - he had seen a handful of birch trees on his short jaunt up the road - but the tall redwoods clearly ruled the landscape here. He stuffed his hands in his vest pockets, feeling the cool weight of the stones he’d gathered earlier between his fingers.

 

The forest was pleasantly cool beneath the canopy of the trees, which surprised him. He’d been expecting it to be more muggy, even suffocating. It was nice to be somewhere that felt so fresh and clear. He scuffed his feet along the path as he walked, scattering old and new debris alike as he went. He could hear forest animals here and there - squirrels and chipmunks rustling in the trees, birds singing from the canopies - but they mostly kept out of sight. He hadn’t run into another person yet, a fact that didn’t bother him in the least.

 

Gideon wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking the forest trail. He didn’t think it had been too long - a good ten minutes, perhaps. He paused beneath the branches of a particularly large oak tree and leant against the rough bark of the trunk. The ground beneath his feet had been inching upwards at a steady, but shallow, incline. His breath was a big ragged; a short break was in order.

 

He’d strayed a bit from the beaten path, into the thicker brush of the woods. He could still see the path from where he came to rest, just a bit off through the trees. Here, he was slightly more secluded.

 

Gideon tucked his hands into his vest pockets, withdrawing a couple of the rocks he’d collected on his way out. He glanced over his shoulder - once, twice. There was no one else around. It was just him and the sounds of the forest, way out here. And then, one additional sound.

 

_THWACK_. The first rock made a less-than-satisfying impact against the trunk of one of the redwoods. The second would have to be better than that, Gideon thought as he rubbed another stone between his fingers.

 

He glanced around again. Alone, still. He exhaled and raised his fist, another rock tightly enclosed within.

 

Gideon would be the first to admit he had a bit of a temper. He wasn’t as volatile as he’d been when he was younger - he’d grown out of the full-blown tantrum phase. He hadn’t grown out of his hot blood, however. When he was about to bubble over at home, his parents had him find somewhere isolated where he could take out his frustrations. Sometimes it was a quiet park, or in the basement of the house if they couldn’t find anywhere impromptu. All he needed to calm down these days was somewhere alone to vent.

 

He drew his arm back and let the second stone fly. It soared into the forest, away from the hiking path and landed with a soft _thump_ in the patchy grass a couple yards away. He pursed his lips.

 

Why had his parents wanted to send him up here on his own, anyway? What was he supposed to be, some sort of liaison to their estranged uncle? He hurled another rock into the woods, pleased that this one offered a solid _thunk_ as it ricocheted from a far-off tree trunk. Was it more convenient for them to ship him off on his own? Why the _whole_ summer? Another stone went flying, this one skidding through detritus not yet completely rotted away from last year’s fall.

 

He wondered what his friends back home were doing. He’d never exactly been _popular_ , but he had a few buddies he liked to hang around with. They were probably hanging out right now, playing that new racing video game, or out getting ice cream, or at least, if nothing else, planning when they were going to meet up for video games and ice cream.

 

And here he was in the middle of the woods chucking rocks at trees.

 

Another stone sailed through the woods, _thunk_ -ing against the trunk of a particularly large redwood. His pockets were quickly emptying out. He wrapped his fingers around one of the two rocks he had left. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to visit his great-uncle. He’d only met the guy once; getting to know him better wasn’t something he was opposed to. But why did his whole summer have to be sacrificed here? Everything felt out of his control.

 

He let the rock loose, watched it arc through the air and smack dead-center into the trunk of another redwood. A hollow, metallic _clunk_ echoed through the woods.

 

Gideon stared. What was a metal tree doing out in the middle of a forest full of real, living conifers? He took a few cautious steps toward the tree, his curiosity flaring. From behind him, however, came another noise.

 

Someone was shuffling along the nearby forest path. Gideon hissed quietly, snapping around to seek out the source of the footsteps. A very bright, very neon-clad someone was extremely visible through the brush. The girl on the trail was wearing the most blinding hot pink and lime green jacket he’d seen in his life. And it looked like she’d spotted him.

 

“Hey!” she called, tromping through the foliage to get to him. “What’re you doing out here? I haven’t seen you around here before - are you a tourist? You shouldn’t leave the path, it’s really easy to get lost in the woods! Are you by yourself? Where’s your family?”

 

She’d said this all quite quickly. Gideon ran it through his head again, trying to separate all her questions coherently before giving up and responding with an inelegant: “What?”

 

The girl crossed her arms, drawing herself up to her full height - which was about half a head taller than he was - and giving him a look of deep concern. “I said, you shouldn’t leave the hiking trail! It’s really easy to get lost out in the woods, you know. Campers have gone missing before.”

 

Gideon took a good look at the girl who was accosting him. The girl’s jacket was ostentatious enough to draw any attention away from the rest of her - not that the rest of her getup was much less gaudy. She was wearing black cotton shorts with purple stripes down the sides, and her bright shoes looked like they had lights in the heels that flashed when she walked. Her teeth were bared in a disapproving frown, displaying her multicoloured braces for all to see. A high ponytail that had more scrunched up fabric than any hair elastic had business having held her canary-yellow hair up tight on the top of her head.

 

 

He gave her a perplexed look. “The trail’s right there. I can see it from here.”

 

She paused. “Y-yeah, well… you’re out here alone, and, like, what are you doing anyway?”

 

“I just wanted to have some time alone. That a problem?” he mumbled, tightening his fist around the final rock and stuffing it back deep into his pocket. Apparently he hadn’t been quick enough - the girl leapt on his action.

 

“What’s with the rock? Wait, is that what I heard on my way up here? Are you out here _chucking rocks around_? What if you hurt someone?!”

 

“How about you mind your own business!” Gideon said, glaring at the girl who’d interrupted his walk. “And y’know, you’re out here alone too! Shouldn’t you be in town doing summer stuff with your pals?”

 

“I live here! I’m not about to get lost in the woods.” the girl sputtered, indignant.

 

Gideon’s glare kept firm. The girl returned it, a little less boldly than he. “Do your parents even know you’re out here on your own?” she asked.

 

“My parents are in Texas.” Gideon said, crossing his arms to match the girl. “Do _your_ parents know you’re out in the woods alone?”

 

“I’m old enough to go out on my own!” the girl spat - Gideon wondered if he’d hit a nerve. “Look, I don’t know how it works in _Texas_ ,” she said, drawing out ‘Texas’ snidely, “but here in Gravity Falls you can’t just walk into the woods and chuck rocks at forest animals. Not even the squirrels, no matter how many of them there are around here!”

 

“I wasn’t chuckin’ rocks at squirrels!” Gideon fumed, “I was just - never mind. None of your business what I was doing.”

 

The two stared each other down, neither wanting to be the first to back down. The girl spoke up again, sighing. “Can you just get back on the trail? People really do get lost out here all the time.”

 

Gideon shot her a derisive look before turning away to face deeper into the woods. “I’m gonna explore a bit more, if that ain’t a problem for you.”

 

He heard the girl give a long, frustrated (and completely gratifying) groan. It sounded like she stomped her foot in agitation, too. “Oh, my god, you stupid tourist! You’re gonna get clawed to pieces by a bear or something!”

 

“Wrestling a bear would make an excitin’ story to tell.”

 

The girl was trampling after him, her angry footfalls stamping the ground but still managing to make barely a sound. “I’m not going to follow you into the thick of the woods, we should just turn around here.”

 

“Then don’t follow me.” Gideon said, shooting her a glare. “I just wanna be left alone!”

 

The girl gave another long-suffering growl but made no motion to stop following him. How far would he have to trek into the woods to ditch Park Ranger Barbie? So much for venting his frustrations - somehow he’d only managed to gain a new one. He shot her a glare, taking a second to try and pick out the metal tree among the natural redwoods. With her on his heels, he wasn’t eager to check it out. It would have to wait until he lost her.

 

Gideon ambled along quietly, listening to the girl muttering under her breath as she scuffled through increasingly dense underbrush behind him. He could see a small clearing ahead, not too far away from where they were walking. If she was still following him by the time they got there, he decided, he’d turn around and head back to the trail. No point in winding himself up further when he was already coiled to snap. He’d go back to the Shack and unload his stuff. Maybe he’d get a proper tour of the Shack too.

 

The patchy grass underfoot was thinning out as the clearing game into view. The low, sprawling bushes were receding just as quickly. The clearing looked out of place amidst the towering trees - not quite manmade, but not altogether natural, either. Gideon picked up his feet with greater difficulty now. Where the grass was growing ever more thin, the ground seemed soft and weak. His shoes were sinking in the soil.

 

“Why is the dirt so loose here?” the girl behind him spoke up.

 

Gideon shrugged emphatically, refusing to turn back until the last moment possible. “I dunno - you’re the local here.”

 

The pair ventured further into the clearing. The soil became less and less packed as they approached the center, their feet unsteady and balance uncertain as it shifted while they walked. The soil looked like it had been freshly upturned, as if something had come through and tilled, specifically, this circle in the forest.

 

“I don’t think we should - uh - I don’t really feel comfortable going any further…” the girl mumbled, coming to a stop somewhere behind Gideon.

 

“Well then, _don’t_.” Gideon said, turning around and giving her a pointed look. “I dunno why you followed me out here in the first place.”

 

The girl frowned. “Well, sorry for wanting to make sure you didn’t get lost in the woods. Are you heading back now or what?”

 

“In a minute, I wanna take a look around.” Gideon said, strolling further into the center of the tilled clearing. The ground seemed to sag into the middle, as if it was being pulled downward into the earth below.

 

“Oh my god, c’mon, that looks so dangerous!” the girl squeaked, continuing to follow him nevertheless. “Please, oh please, if I never ever follow you anywhere again, can we please turn around and go back to the trail?”

 

Gideon stopped walking. He’d dragged this out long enough - she was just as stubborn as he was, it seemed. He turned to face his persistent follower, about to tell her just how ready he was to accept her proposition, when the ground suddenly shuddered.

 

Apparently the girl had felt it too. Her shoulders jerked and she tensed, quickly looking toward the ground where it had sunk around their feet. “What—”

 

Her words were cut away as the soil beneath their feet crumbled. The ground seemed to open up from below, the loose soil sliding away down into the rapidly growing chasm below and taking them with it.

 

Gideon tried to scamper backward, away from the center of the clearing. The soil was slipping away faster and faster - there was already no solid ground to give him any leverage. In barely a second both he and the neon-clad girl were sucked down into the collapsing ground. He heard her scream as they submerged, and he matched her with a long, panicked cry.

 

The hole that had opened up in the ground had dropped them into a dark, vertical-drop of a tunnel. Her groping hands found his sweater and he reached out and clasped her arm without a second thought. _This is it_ , Gideon thought, _this is how I die, buried alive in the woods_. So much for the bears.

 

Gideon had barely enough time to contemplate his own death before his back met solidly with the stony bottom of the passage. The girl - still gripping his arm - landed half on top of him. He rasped as all the air in his lungs rushed from him, leaving him empty and breathless.

 

Their fall had been quick and untidy, but thankfully short. From above, loose soil steadily rained down on them, the last remnants of the shallow turf they’d stood on only seconds before. Beside him, he could hear the frantic puffs of air that were the mystery girl’s breath. His own breathing wasn’t much better off; he was having enough difficulty convincing air to enter his lungs at all.

 

It was pitch black, wherever they’d ended up. The only light he could see was from the aftermath of the opening where they’d fallen through - which actually seemed quite narrow from down here. He could feel the girl next to him shaking as she shifted her weight, prying herself away from where she’d fallen and sitting up. He could almost make out her features from the dim light above them.

 

“A-are you a-alright?” she asked, her voice jittery and clearly shaken.

 

Gideon still couldn’t get enough air into himself to breathe right, let alone speak.

 

“Oh my god, don’t be dying, are you dying?” the girl sounded practically on the verge of tears.

 

“No, m’alive.” he managed to rasp shakily. He pawed at the ground, trying to get his shaking limbs to calm down enough for him to sit up.

 

“L-let me help you.” the girl said, grabbing his arms and pulling him forward.

 

Gideon forced in a few deep breaths, coaxing his breathing back down to normal. Once he was no longer gasping for air, he croaked out a quiet “thanks”.

 

He watched in the dim light as the girl glanced around the tunnel where they’d found themselves. “What is this place? Why is it under the forest?”

 

“Y’mean it’s not some tourist attraction?” Gideon asked, taking a look around himself. His eyes were adjusting to the dark - though he couldn’t see much further past what the dim light from above lit up. The loose soil wasn’t much of a mystery any more - it had been covering the vertical shaft through the ground in the center of the clearing. As for why, his guess was as good as the next tourist’s. From what he could see, the walls were soil, still densely packed, and criss-crossed with the dense roots of the forest’s trees. The ‘ceiling’ was packed soil as well, and hung low over their heads. He guessed if they were standing, they’d only have to jump to reach the ground overhead.

 

They were sitting in a dug-out circle that was roughly the same circumference as the clearing above. Gideon could see a few tunnels branching off from the underground room, but it was impossible to tell how far they went - it was much too dark. Aside from the ruckus they’d made when they fell, it had been quiet.

 

This silence, of course, was not meant to last. “Jerry, I’m tellin’ ya, I didn’t hear a thing!”

 

“Yeah, well, your hearing’s about as good as your eyes. I’m tellin’ you, there was some kinda commotion over here just now!”

 

Gideon froze. He felt the girl next to him freeze up as well as she gripped his arm. Someone else was down here in this tunnel with them. Who were they? What would they do when they found two kids alone in the middle of their whatever-this-was-supposed-to-be? A secret network of underground tunnels seemed like just the thing that sinister mob members would have. As far as he knew, the mob didn’t take a particular liking to kids.

 

“And I’m tellin’ _you_ , it’s nothin’! You freak out over every li’l sound - probably a _bunny_ or somethin’ dug a bit too far in and fell.”

 

“It don’t smell like no bunny, Ricky! Are you smellin’ this at all?”

 

The voices were getting closer. Gideon thought he could see movement just beyond one of the tunnel openings. From their outline, they looked to be oddly shaped, as if hunched over. Why was the roof of the tunnel so low if it made travelling that difficult for them? As quietly as he could, he shuffled backward to press into the wall of their alcove, and the girl followed suit.

 

“ _There_!” one of the voices called. “Right over there, didn’t you feel that? I felt that! That’s no bunny!”

 

The two figures closed in. As the light hit them, Gideon’s eyes widened. The hunched silhouettes hadn’t belonged to men at all. The two figures were covered in dark brown fur with long-clawed hands and feet that were a far cry from human. They walked on two feet, but were bent low to the ground, their pointed snouts close to the ground. Their beady eyes seemed pitch black in the dark, making it was hard to tell if they really had a touch of red to them or if it was just an addition of his imagination.

 

The girl next to him made a valiant attempt to conceal her squeak; evidently she had seen them too, now. She pressed back against the wall, edging closer to him and trying to make herself as small as she could. He knew it was too late for that - the man-sized beasts were already shuffling toward them, snuffling at the ground as they went.

 

Gideon’s whole body tensed as the one closest to him shoved his snout mere centimeters from his face. He could feel the creature’s breath on his face as it sniffed.

 

“Whaddaya call _this_ , Ricky? Strangest smellin’ bunny I ever seen!”

 

Gideon was stunned silent. The minute the creature in front of him had spoken, its open mouth had revealed rows of glittering, sharp teeth. Gideon’s mind reeled, pulling up images of a terribly familiar stuffed animal pelt with long, sloping claws and a fierce snarl. But this thing before him was no bear.

 

His companion, unlike him, seemed to retain control of her voice. “You’re a - a giant mole!” she squealed, quivering beside Gideon. She’d lunged out a shaking arm, pointing toward the beast’s face as if to affirm that yes, that was what she was seeing.

 

“It’s people, Jerry.” the second mole said, scurrying around his friend’s side to get a better sniff at the two cowering kids.

 

“I _know_ it’s people, idiot!” Jerry said, his snout wiggling curiously. “How’d they get in here?”

 

The mole named Ricky lifted his snout skyward, sniffling and snuffling it along the clay walls. “There’s a hole way up there, someone musta dug a tunnel up to the surface.”

 

“What?!” Jerry shuddered, throwing his shovel-like claws against the tunnel walls and sniffing as his partner had just done. “Who was in charge a’ these tunnels?! Was it Louie? What kinda mud-brain opens up a tunnel right in prime human territory?!”

 

Gideon felt the trembling girl (at least, he assumed she was trembling. The shaking could have just as easily been his own) next to him shift ever closer. The two giant mole monsters were shuffling around, hovering just over them as they smelled the air and pressed their paws to the earth, assessing the state of the tunnels.

 

“No use cryin’ about it here. We gotta go get a team on patchin’ up this hole in the ground. Honestly. Can nobody do anything right around here?” Jerry said, giant paw pressed to his head.

 

“What’re we gonna do about the people?” Ricky asked, nearly touching his snout to the top of the girl’s head as he bent toward them.

 

“Y-y’all can just let us go, we won’t tell no one we found your tunnels.” Gideon stuttered, his voice quickly returning as the moles closed in.

 

“Yeah!” the girl said, quickly jumping onto his suggestion. “We didn’t mean to intrude or anything, we were just hiking in the woods and fell down this tunnel! We’re really sorry.”

 

The moles turned to one another. The one with the lower-pitched voice - Jerry - shook his head. “We gotta bring ‘em to the boss, see what he says.”

 

“They’re just _li’l_ people, Jer. Look at ‘em! They’re like pups!” Ricky countered. “Say we put ‘em back up on the surface. Who’s gonna believe a couple a’ tiny people about giant moles?”

 

“In this town, you’d be surprised. We’ll take ‘em below, see what the King has to say about all this - _and_ we gotta get a team on fillin’ in this hole.”

 

“Aww, c’mon Jerry!” Ricky said.

 

“We swear we won’t tell a soul.” Gideon added on. Beyond their little hole in the ground, the tunnels were truly pitch black. He didn’t have the sense of smell and touch of a mole, and he doubted the girl clutching his arm as though her life depended on it had much in the way of mole senses either. The thought of going down into their headquarters made his stomach flip.

 

“Nope, sorry, nothin’ to be done about it but takin’ you guys to the King.” Jerry said, giving Gideon a nudge with his claws. “C’mon, we don’t got all day here.”

 

Gideon flinched as the backside of the mole’s claws pressed into his shoulder. They were _long_ and curving and looked like they could slice through his skin like it was rice paper. He rose to his feet, the girl standing up alongside him with her death-grip on his arm intact.

 

Jerry gestured toward one of the tunnel entrances with a claw and turned to his partner. “After you, Ricky.”

 

Ricky slunk forward, pausing to look over his shoulder. “Are you sure? I think it’d be less work just to toss ‘em back up into the forest.”

 

“Sure I’m sure!” the other mole boomed, flourishing his claws more vigorously now. “Get movin’ or I’ll smack ya so hard _you’ll_ end up in the forest!”

 

Gideon was ushered along after Ricky toward one of the tunnels. The girl’s grip on his arm loosened and she slipped away to walk beside him. With every step she took, the heels of her shoes flashed with vivid, red lights, illuminating the packed walls of the tunnel they travelled. Jerry fell in behind them, close enough that they could hear him sniff the air as he walked.

 

Almost immediately, the dim light from their hole in the sky was extinguished. The tunnel was full of inky darkness, interrupted only by the flashing red of blondie’s shoe lights. These occasional flashes at least allowed them some semblance of sight, as temporary as it might have been. He couldn’t see much beyond the furry back of their mole escort, but it didn’t seem like there was much _to_ see.

 

Beside him, the girl cleared her throat quietly. “Uh, so, my name’s Pacifica Northwest.”

 

Gideon gave her a bemused look. “What?”

 

“My name,” she said again, sounding a bit taken aback, “it’s—”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I just mean, why are you telling me all of a sudden?”

 

“Well,” Pacifica said, bristling. “I just thought, if we’re about to be eaten by a family of giant mole people, it might be nice if the person I’m dying with knew my name.”

 

Gideon nodded absently, his eyes still focused on the furry wall of mole’s back that was leading them deeper and deeper underground. After a moment’s pause, he replied. “My name’s Gideon Pines.”

 

“Pines?” Pacifica echoed. “There’s someone in the area with that name, I think.”

 

“That’d be my great-uncle, Stanford Pines.” Gideon said, shrugging. “You know him?”

 

“Stanford Pines… oh! Does he run the Mystery Shack?”

 

“Yeah,” Gideon said, not surprised she knew of him. Gravity Falls seemed like the kind of place where everyone would know their neighbours down the street.

 

“Mom says that place is a dump.”

 

“It’s not a dump!” Gideon said, feely oddly defensive over Grunkle Stan’s definitely dumpy little Shack of mysteries.

 

“Oh, okay.” Pacifica said, shrugging. “I’ve never actually been. It’s supposed to be really touristy and full of all kinds of hokum and a bunch of fake monsters.”

 

“We’re literally being paraded underground by a pair a’ giant mole people and you’re going on about how the Shack has _fake monsters_ in it?”

 

“Oh, right.” Pacifica fell quiet for a minute, choosing to stare forward along with Gideon. The pair could feel the ground slowly sloping beneath them. Even if he couldn’t see it, Gideon knew they were being drawn down further and further into the earth. The thick tree roots that had been abundant in the opening where they’d first landed had thinned out, almost disappearing entirely. Instead, the walls were becoming cool and damp, and large rocks began to appear intermittently, embedded in the clay.

 

From just beyond the mole’s shoulders, Gideon could see a the beginnings of a strange, blue-green glow. The tunnel was slowly widening as they travelled, and the glow was becoming brighter, giving the wall an eerie colour between the flickering red lights of Pacifica’s footwear. Gideon eventually spotted several patches of fungi growing from the tunnel walls ahead, all bioluminescent and ghostly green.

 

Quite suddenly, the tunnel opened up. There was a short drop to a ledge below, which Ricky slid down to with ease. Gideon and Pacifica climbed down a bit more cautiously, egged on by the breath of the mole at their back. Once safely out of the tunnel, they stared with wide eyes at the cave they’d found themselves in.

 

The ceiling was high above their heads. They’d clearly plunged quite deep underground, judging from how few and far-between the barely-visible roots were, jutting out among the rocks in the ceiling. All around the sides of the grand cave were winding ledges, full of giant moles coming and going.

 

The glowing fungus was sprouting along the walls of the cave, filling the room with an unearthly haze of green. There was, however, another source of light in this room as well. Jutting from the clay, and emitting bright blues and royal purples were giant crystals. Their light didn’t fill the air quite as much as the mushrooms. Instead, they seemed to pulse with a pale aura, brightening only a small space around them.

 

 

“Keep it movin’ boys and girls!” Jerry called out, scratching at the ground just behind their heels. “Save your gawkin’ for later.”

 

Gideon and Pacifica picked up their feet again and set off after Ricky, not at all eager to be clawed into by an irritated mole-man. They were descending quickly now, following their guide down to the bottom floor of the cave. As they looked out, they could see a raised mound in the center of the cavern. There was only one tunnel leading in or out of the mound, and two of the mole people stood on either side of it.

 

It seemed that this was where they were being led. From every edge of the cave, curious heads seemed to angle in their direction. The air buzzed with snuffling moles and curious chatter. As they stepped out onto the ground floor, a few moles passed them by. Each stuck out their nose to smell them curiously.

 

“What’s ‘at you’ve got there, Jerry? Are those people?”

 

“Where’d they come from?”

 

“How’d they get here?”

 

“Enough, shaddap you buncha furballs, keep movin’! We’re just walkin’ these two to the King!” Jerry shouted, waving aside any onlookers that got a little too closer and a little too curious. Announcing their intent to visit the ‘king’ didn’t seem to quell their interest. If anything, it enticed it further. Gideon shivered as he drew his vest around him more tightly, and not from the cold.

 

The two guards standing outside the mound perked up in attention as the kids and their mole captors approached. They gave the kids a cursory sniff before standing up a bit straighter.

 

“What’ve you got here?” One of the guards asked. “A pair of humans?”

 

“Yeah, found ‘em up in the west tunnels, right under the thick of the forest there. Somehow they got in here. Thought it was pertinent that we bring ‘em straight to the King, first off.” Jerry said, shuffling forward right up next to Gideon.

 

The two guards gave each other a short look. The silent guard gave a short nod and scuttled off into the mound. “He’ll announce your arrival to the King. Wait here.” the first guard said, moving to block the tunnel entrance as they waited for his partner’s return.

 

Gideon’s palms were slick with sweat. He could feel Pacifica trembling next to him - his own limbs weren’t much better off. His legs felt weak, like jelly. He could almost feel the weight of the ground above their heads. His heart was thudding heavily in his chest; he could count the beats it took for the mole guard to return. Once he’d emerged, he gave a curt nod to the other guard, and they parted to allow the four through.

 

This tunnel was not as dark as the one’s they’d travelled to get here. There was plenty of the ghostly fungus sprouting from the walls here, and further down they could see the purple-blue haze of the strange crystals.

 

The tunnel ended quickly. They emerged into a small, circular hollow. Two more mole guards sat on either side of a great rock plinth, from which dozens of the crystals erupted. On the plinth was an earthen throne of cobbled mud, and upon this throne sat one of the mole-men. Perched regally atop his head was a crown fashioned from crystals, smaller than those growing in the cave, but equally lustrous. He was bulkier than any of the moles they’d seen, and for all that extra muscle, was still not lacking in claws.

 

“Your Highness.” Jerry said, sweeping to the front of the gathering and bowing. Ricky took his cue, matching his bow but staying to the back.

 

“What’s all this about a hole in our tunnels?” the King asked gruffly, jumping straight to the point.

 

“There’s been a breach in one a’ the western tunnels. There’s a hole been dug right up to the surface in the forest.” Jerry said. “Ricky an’ I found these two people sittin’ in the tunnel right under it.”

 

The King scratched his chin with a long claw, appraising what he’d heard. In his other paw he held one of the crystals. The top looked as though it had been gnawed off. Gideon watched as the King brought the crystal to his mouth, confirming his observation with a slick _crunch_ as he snapped off a piece into his mouth. “Hm. Can’t have that, we’ll need to patch that up immediately…” he said, his mouth glowing slightly from the crumbling crystal.

 

“Ah, Highness?” Ricky spoke up, raising his snout curiously. “What should we do with the people?”

 

Pacifica made a squeaking noise from his side, erupting before the King could reply. “P-please don’t eat us, we’d taste terrible!”

 

Gideon tensed as the mole king turned heavily toward them. He stared down at them, his nose twitching briefly before a deep chuckle rolled from him. His laughter grew until it was booming. Gideon risked a glance at Pacifica; she was staring back at him uneasily.

 

“ _Eat_ you?” the mole king guffawed, taking another crunch from the crystal in his paw. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’d sooner eat my own men.”

 

Gideon let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Pacifica’s shoulder slumped in relief. “So, uh, does that mean you’ll let us go?” he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

 

“Hm.” the King rolled his crystal snack between his paws. “No, no that won’t do. Can’t risk having _people_ come down here to excavate our tunnels.” he said, clutching his crumbling crystal protectively to his chest. “We’ll just have to make you our slaves.”

 

Pacifica made a strangled noise and Gideon’s heart dropped into his stomach. He could feel the hair on the nape of his neck stand up. He’d barely just gotten into town. He hadn’t even unpacked anything yet. And here he was, probably halfway to the center of the earth, being enslaved by a secret colony of man-sized, crystal-eating moles. He squeezed his hands into tight fists, trying to keep from entering a full-blown panic.

 

“And we’ll need a team of diggers filling in that tunnel in the woods. I’ll have you two pick out who you’d like to accompany you. Show them where the mess is and have it fixed immediately. Can’t have another mishap like this…” the King said, stuffing the last of the crystal into his mouth and motioning to the nearest guard for another.

 

Another squawk rose from Pacifica’s throat. “B-but you can’t just _keep_ us here! We live on the - uh - on the surface!”

 

The King raised a paw, signalling to Ricky and Jerry that he wasn’t quite done with them yet. “Take these two with you. See if they’re of any use with filling in that open shaft. They’ll be good for something, I’m sure.” he said with another guffaw. Then, with an air of finality, he motioned them to leave and turned his attention to the fresh new crystal in his clutches.

 

They were ushered from the King’s quarters by the same moles that had dragged them there. Gideon felt oddly weightless. This couldn’t possibly be _really_ happening to him. Only moments ago he’d been in his great-uncle’s gift shop, scoffing over stuffed creatures and coffee mugs emblazoned with demons. And yet, here he was, surrounded by giant moles with sickle blades on their fingers, driven into the creatures’ den by a relentlessly irritating girl who only wanted to put him back on the hiking trail.

 

The girl herself seemed worse off than he was. Pacifica walked in a daze, muttering quietly to herself and rubbing absently at her arms. She looked beset.

 

“Hey,” Gideon said quietly, reaching out to touch her arm. “We’ll figure something out, okay?” He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

 

She nodded at him slowly, her eyes still wide and glassy. He shoved his clammy hands into his pockets, feeling the weight of the last rock he hadn’t tossed. It was palm-sized, a bit bigger than the stones he’d lobbed in the woods. He doubted he could get much use from it - the most it would do if he pitched it at one of the moles was make it angry. Maybe give a nasty bruise, at worst. Still, it was better than having nothing, and he clutched it like a lifeline.

 

\---

 

Jerry and Ricky had recruited two other moles to help them fill in the mystery hole. The walk back to said hole was quiet, save for the snuffling sounds of the moles (and Gideon’s trembling bones, though, that might have only been in his head).

 

He could tell once they were getting close. The tunnel began to open up, and a dim light from above was filtering in. Gideon squinted as they entered the clearing, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the new light.

 

“Alright then, boys.” Jerry said, clapping his paws together. “Let’s see about closin’ this up.”

 

Two of the moles sunk their claws into the soil below, tilling it with machine-like efficiency. Jerry pawed his way upward into the shaft, feeling his way around. Gideon and Pacifica stood quietly along with Ricky, who hadn’t yet left the tunnel.

 

“What are these guys supposed to do anyway?” he asked, gesturing to the kids with a claw.

 

“Well, they sure don’t look like they got any claws on ‘em.” Jerry said sarcastically. “Maybe we can use ‘em to stuff up this hole - like a couple a rocks.” he said with a laugh.

 

Pacifica paled. Gideon swallowed hard, unsure whether the threat was a joke. “We can help pack the dirt into the hole up there.” he said, crossing his fingers inside his pockets. If they could just get close enough to the surface, maybe they could make their escape.

 

“That’s not a bad idea, eh Jerry?” Ricky said.

 

“Whaddaya mean, of course that’s a bad idea, you shmuck!” Jerry snapped. “Let ‘em up here and they’ll be outta here, lickety split, bam, gone!”

 

Just as Gideon shrunk back, Pacifica piped up. “I think that’s the only way we’ll be any use here. We can’t dig like you, right?”

 

Jerry didn’t look convinced. “Pah, should’ve left ‘em down in the cave. They could’ve collected crystals. Don’t need claws for that.”

 

Gideon stared doubtfully at Jerry before turning his dubious look to the mole at his side. “And just how’re we supposed to dig out solid rocks if we can’t even dig up _dirt_?”

 

Ricky waved a claw lazily. “Nah, it’s not like that. Those crystals are soft and crumbly - didn’t you see the King munchin’ on that one? Couldn’t chew through a regular rock like that, he’d break his teeth! Those crystals will snap right off - but ya gotta be careful ‘cause they break easy too.”

 

“Ricky would you _shaddap_ and help out over here?” Jerry groaned, climbing higher up into the shaft.

 

Ricky let out a soft sigh, shuffling forward to clamber up alongside his partner. “Hold up a minute,” Gideon said, reaching out to tap the retreating mole’s shoulder with renewed vigour. “Let us climb up with you. There ain’t nothing else for us to help out with here other than packing that dirt in, right? And how are we gonna escape with you two right there?”

 

Pacifica slid up beside him, nodding her agreement. Ricky looked between the two of them, seemingly torn. With a shrug of his great shoulders, he knelt to the ground. “Climb on up, then.”

 

Gideon bit down on his lips to choke back his smile. His resolve had paid off after all. Pacifica hopped up onto Ricky’s back, straddling his shoulders and holding on tightly. Gideon followed her with a little more difficulty. Once the two were clinging fiercely to his fur, he scuttled up toward the shaft, his thick claws helping him climb effortlessly to where his partner dangled.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, what did I just tell you about bringin’ them people up here?” Jerry said, stuffing his snout toward the two kids forcefully.

 

“Aw c’mon Jer! How’re they gonna get away from us?”

 

Jerry stared down his partner for a moment, his face twisted with clear disapproval. With a long groan and a heavy shrug, he finally relented with a passing “whatever, whatever, I don’t care.” and climbed further up the shaft.

 

Gideon strained his neck to look straight up. They were still definitely too far from the hole in the ground to be able to make any escape attempt. He doubted he could get a good enough grip in the dirt walls to hang on, let alone climb up.

 

“Alright, now, Len and Pat - those two guys that are diggin’ - they’re gonna start pushin’ soil up the walls here. We’re gonna push it even further and start packin’ in the hole up there. Got it?” Ricky said, sounding strangely enthusiastic about coaching two human kids in the art of tunnel reconstruction.

 

“Got it.” Gideon said, still eyeing their only escape with a nervous eye. Pacifica nodded, though he could see she was focused on the opening just as he was.

 

To dash any plans of escape even more thoroughly, Jerry was further up the tunnel than Ricky was. He was facing downward, the claws on both his front and hind paws dug deeply into the dirt. Ricky swivelled around so he was facing the bottom of the tunnel as well.

 

Gideon clung tightly to the mole’s back as he felt himself slip forward. He’d already fallen through this hole once - he was not eager to repeat that journey. Below them, he could see the two digger moles shovelling soil upward toward Ricky’s patient claws.

 

“You guys are takin’ this whole captive thing really well, I mean, you’re so eager to be helpful already!” Ricky said cheerfully, sweeping the dirt upward with his broad paws. “Y’know, I think we could be friends.”

 

Gideon’s face contorted into a look of utter perplexity. Pacifica made yet another choking noise, though whether it was from what Ricky had said, or from the steady stream of dirt that was dripping down from above them, he couldn’t tell.

 

“Here, pack this in around the walls up there.” Ricky said cheerfully, sweeping back more armfuls of dirt. Jerry had clambered down, just above them in the shaft now. He was busily sweeping dirt upward as well, though making less-than cheerful noises as he worked. As Gideon slowly patted at the loose soil around the walls, Jerry made an aggravated growl and dropped back down into the underground tunnels.

 

“What’re you two doin’? Did you just start tillin’ _yesterday_?” he growled, scooping a pile of dirt away from one of the workers. He seemed distracted for the moment, chiding the slow work of the two moles below.

 

Gideon’s hands were shaking again - this might be the only chance they got. “Hey uh, Ricky, is it?”

 

“Hm?” the mole murmured, still steadily sweeping waves of soil.

 

“Shouldn’t we move further up to fill in this hole?”

 

The mole didn’t pause in his work as he glanced over his shoulders to the two kids. He gave Gideon what he thought was a suspicious glance before responding. “Naw, it’ll fill in fine from here. You ever fixed a tunnel before?”

 

Gideon swallowed hard. _Now or never_ he thought again, steeling himself. “Well, no, but uh. Well just take a look.” he said, gesturing vaguely to the dirt walls. “There’s still gonna be a pit in the forest if we fill it up like this, right? We’re, uh, we’re not filling the hole up to the top.”

 

Ricky did pause at this, raising his snout skyward and giving a quick sniff. “Well, maybe…”

 

Pacifica jumped; Gideon gave her a cautionary glance. “I mean, I guess I don’t know that much about tunnels, but… don’t you think leavin’ a pit like that in the woods might make some folks curious enough to investigate?”

 

Ricky nodded along. “Yeah, y’know, stuff like that _is_ how guys that don’t belong down here end up fallin’ in. I mean, it is most of the time.” He stretched his paws out, turning around and clawing a bit farther up. “You guys are the first people that got into the tunnels in a _long_ time, y’know? I’ve never met a person before. The last guy must’ve been down here, I dunno, thirty years ago now maybe. I wasn’t even born!”

 

Gideon nodded slowly as the mole chattered on, his eyes wide and nervous. The mole had actually listened to him. He still wasn’t close to being able to reach the edge of the hole. As his eyes darted around, adjusting to the now brighter light, Pacifica spoke.

 

“There was another human down here before?” she asked.

 

“Oh yeah!” Ricky said, blissfully picking up where he’d left off in shovelling dirt. “I guess there was a huge fuss way back then! I dunno much about the details.”

 

Pacifica’s voice was strained but curious as she asked, “what happened to them?”

 

“He escaped, I guess. Had the tunnels in an uproar! The old King then had the tunnel where he first got in completely collapsed and filled in ‘cause he was afraid he’d be back with more humans. Just recently we started diggin’ out in that area again.”

 

There. Gideon’s sight locked onto two protruding rocks that would be just beyond his reach. They looked half-buried in the wall, and sturdy enough to hold the weight of a kid his size. The rocks would be perfect footholds to give them just the leg-up they needed to escape, if they could reach them. He nudged Pacifica nodding toward the rocks he’d spied. Her head swivelled and she shot him a look of understanding in return.

 

Now they just had to keep Ricky distracted.

 

“So, uh,” Gideon said, fumbling to keep the conversation rolling. “Did the guy ever come back?”

 

“Nope!” Ricky said with a chuckle. “Don’t even know if he tried, since the original tunnel he found got filled in. I’m guessin’ since we’re still all here he didn’t exactly bring back a mob with pitchforks.”

 

Pacifica was gauging how far away the rocks were. She reached out a cautious hand, her grasp falling just short of the first purchase.

 

“Uh, what do you… think of that?” Gideon asked, biting his lip as he inched closer to Pacifica, folding his hands into a makeshift foothold silently.

 

“Oh, I dunno. I think people are interesting, y’know? I mean, you guys are the first I’ve ever seen - did I say that before? Mostly we just hear guys talk about how _dangerous_ people are, and the King goes on about how they’ll wipe out our crystal mines if enough of ‘em find out where they are.” he said with a chuckle. “Now, if you ask _me_ , I’d say the only thing gnawin’ away at our crystal supply is the King’s stomach, eh?”

 

With the extra height boost, Pacifica had managed to get a hand wrapped firmly around the nearest jutting stone. Heart racing, Gideon finished giving her a leg-up and made himself look busy packing away more soil.

 

“Hey, you guys are doing an awful lot of shuffling around - how’s the packing going?” Ricky asked, his claws still busily tossing up new dirt.

 

“It’s going great.” Gideon said, not quite managing to keep his voice from quivering. “I don’t think you’ll even be able to tell there was a hole here at all.”

 

Pacifica was moving quickly, scrambling from the first foothold to the next, and finally, securing her grip on the edge of the hole. Her feet scraped against the dirt wall for a moment before finding one of the rocks, sending down a shower of dirt. The second it took for her to clamber out of the hole felt like tense hours - but she was out.

 

She shakily rose to her feet, casting her eyes around frantically. In another second, she’d shed her jacket and was on the ground again, leaning down into the hole to lower her makeshift escape rope to Gideon.

 

If Ricky hadn’t heard their scuffling yet, Gideon was sure he could hear his heartbeat now. Pacifica’s oversized jacket barely reached past where the lowermost stone erupted from the wall. Still, it was just long enough that if he jumped, he’d be able to reach. He extended a shaky hand, holding it out as far as he could go. He took a deep breath, willing his stomach from his throat back to where it belong, and leapt.

 

“Ow, hey, what the heck are you guys - you guys…” Ricky said, the tiny pinpricks of his eyes widening as he glanced over his shoulder to see Gideon latch onto a jacket sleeve.

 

“ _RICKY!_ ” Jerry’s angry voice boomed through the tunnels, having finally noticed the commotion above. Pacifica had lurched forward from Gideon’s added weight, barely keeping herself from falling in again. With resolute strength, she started pulling Gideon from the chasm, but not quickly enough.

 

Jerry burst from below, clawing his way fiercely toward the top of the shaft, stomping on Ricky to get to the kids. Ricky slid from where he’d been anchored with a muffled “oof!”. With lightning speed, Jerry shot toward where Gideon hung and sunk his claws deep into the earth, straight through Pacifica’s radiant jacket. His snout hung over Gideon’s face and he snarled, his teeth glinting sharply. Pacifica shrieked.

 

Without time to think, Gideon plucked the final stone from his pocket. His feet found purchase on one of the jutting rocks, and he thrust his weight into smashing the rock into Jerry’s face. There was a crushing crunch of stone against teeth, and a roar of agony as Jerry fell backward, sliding down the slick soil walls.

 

Gideon moved with speed he didn’t know he possessed. He didn’t recall hoisting himself from the hole in the ground, but it must have happened because he was on his feet and tearing through the forest with the new girl at his side, her ruined coat forgotten beneath the earth.

 

They didn’t stop running until they reached the edge of town.

 

\---

 

The sun was hanging lower in the sky, much lower than when he’d first set out. Apparently his little excursion had been more than a couple hours - though, the Shack still had its little wooden door sign flipped to _‘open’_ , so it couldn’t have been past five o’clock yet.

 

He and Pacifica had parted with relatively few words and more in the way of nervous laughter and shifty glances. They were both still shaking when they reached the end of the hiking trails and hadn’t dared look back until they could see the roofs of nearby houses. They hadn’t been followed - at least, not above ground. Who knew where the mole tunnels stretched to?

 

After an quick and awkward goodbye, Pacifica had hightailed it for the town proper while he dragged himself back to the Mystery Shack. He wasn’t accosted by any snarling monster moles erupting from below ground on his jaunt home, which he optimistically chose to take as a sign that they weren’t going to be pursued.

 

He entered the Mystery Shack to see Robbie still seated in front of the till. There were a few people milling about in the gift shop, comparing knickknacks with each other and ooh-ing and aah-ing over various keepsakes. Gideon let out a long breath, making his way through toward the living room.

 

“Hey, where’d you disappear to?” Robbie asked as Gideon passed by the checkout counter, a small smile on his lips.

 

“Uh, went on a little adventure, I guess.” Gideon shrugged, smiling back uncertainly. “I’m just gonna go unpack now, I think.”

 

“Cool. Mr. Pines is having a couple later tours so I’m sticking around for a bit. I’ll be here if you want to hang out or anything.” Robbie said, turning his eyes to a customer approaching with a bundle of merchandise in her arms.

 

Gideon marched quietly up the stairs, immediately collapsing onto his bed once inside his room. He lay still, his face pressed into the fresh sheets.

 

There was no doubt now that his boring summer prospects had been yanked out from under him like a carpet in a cheap trip gag (and he’d fallen just as hard, to boot). His back still ached from where he’d hit the ground, and he was feeling it more fully now that he wasn’t brimming with adrenaline.

 

He let himself rest for a few minutes. After his early morning trip across the country dumped him in Monsterville, he deserved that much. Reluctantly, he pried himself away from the bed and popped open his suitcase to unpack. Resting on top of his clothes was a goodbye letter from his parents, telling him to behave and that they loved him and to say hello to Grunkle Stan and don’t be afraid to bring back some keepsakes for yourself! He set it on the night table and spent the next few minutes milling around the room, stowing his things. It was during this time that he remembered the metal, hollow-sounding tree in the forest.

 

Once he’d unpacked, he slunk back downstairs and into the gift shop. Things had wound down and Robbie was closing up the till for the night. Gideon glanced at the swamp creature-themed clocks on the wall: it was quarter-past six.

 

“Hey again, Gideon.” Robbie greeted cheerfully. “I’m heading out for the night. Mr. Pines should be closing up the exhibition rooms right now.”

 

Gideon nodded in acknowledgement, somewhat distracted with the task on his mind. “Alright.” he said, reaching out over the countertop and plucking the pine tree cap from where it sat. He shoved the hat onto his head, adjusting the brim. “Can you tell him I’m steppin’ out for a few? There’s just one thing that’s buggin’ me and I wanna go check it out. I don’t think I’ll be more than fifteen, twenty minutes.”

 

“Sure thing.” Robbie said, tucking his book away in a knapsack at his feet. “Wearing the hat out, huh? I thought you said that thing was too touristy?”

 

“Yeah, well…” Gideon said, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ve got some tourin’ to do.”

 

Robbie’s face stretched with what Gideon took to be a _smug_ smile. “I thought you might come around to this place if you got to see it a bit first. It’s a neat town. Maybe I’m biased, though.”

 

Gideon shrugged, quickly switching gears back to his goal. “Fifteen minutes.” he said, holding his hands up in front of him firmly.

 

“Twenty at the most, yep, got it.” Robbie said. “I won’t be here when you get back, but I’ll see you tomorrow, kiddo.”

 

Gideon swept from the Shack with determined steps. He’d been interrupted earlier, but he wasn’t planning on falling into any more mole traps tonight. He was on a mission. He quickly reached the hiking trail from earlier in the day. Swallowing his sudden apprehension, he ducked into the woods.

 

He was close now, he thought as he stepped away from the hiking trail. He saw the familiar large oak he’d stopped to rest at on his first venture through here. The metal tree was one of the nearby redwoods. Gideon’s gaze flitted from trunk to trunk until it locked onto the sure culprit.

 

Slowly, and as quietly as he could manage, he approached the tree. Having one unpleasant paranormal encounter today already had been enough to last a lifetime. He was leery about the tree being some kind of trap - what could have put this here? Weird metal tree golems? Still, he was too curious to back down now. He reached out with a fist, knocking it against the rough bark of the tree.

 

He was rewarded with the hollow metal sound he’d been expecting, and yet he was still surprised. He put his palms against the tree trunk, feeling around it carefully. The bark had been carefully constructed from some kind of sheet metal. From a distance it looked exactly like any of the other redwoods in the forest. Certainly, if you were trying to hide a tree, the middle of the woods was the place to do it.

 

Gideon paused, running his fingers back over the bark again. He was certain he felt a raised edge under his fingers - in fact, looking closely, he was sure he could see one. Carefully, he felt around the raised edge, finding a latch disguised beneath an outcropping piece of bark. He pried the secret panel open, staring in wonder as it swung on rusty hinges.

 

There was a hollow compartment in the fake tree. Inside, a strange looking machine sat, clearly unused for some time. Gideon raised a curious eyebrow. What the heck was this thing? Would it still work? He was still feeling bold enough to try. The machine had switches and buttons and levers sticking out from it, and Gideon flipped them all in succession.

 

A quiet rumble came from behind him and Gideon jumped, his bravado evaporating on the spot. He spun around to watch a shallow pit open up some few feet behind him.

 

Gideon’s feet wouldn’t cooperate. He’d had his fill of mysterious holes in the ground - enough to last a lifetime. But was he really about to turn tail and flee after coming back out _specifically_ to see what was out here? He pulled his cap down a little more tightly over his head. He couldn’t return empty handed.

 

Even more cautiously and quietly than he’d approached, Gideon slunk toward the opening in the forest floor. He dropped to his knees once the pit was within arm’s reach, hoping he could scramble back quickly if it _was_ a mole-planted trap. Inching forward at a pace that made a snail look like a racing horse, he leant over the open pit.

 

It wasn’t very deep. It was downright _shallow_ , in fact. This pit looked man-made, and the mechanism that had revealed it was mechanical. It was a small, rectangular pit, lined with sheet metal, and sitting in the center was a battered, dust-coated old book.

 

Gideon squinted suspiciously at the prize he’d dared the woods again to retrieve. Carefully, he waved his hand through the pit, checking that nothing was about to come shooting out at him. Satisfied that the pit was trap free, he reached in and snatched the book. A moment later, another rumble sounded and the earth slid closed, hiding the compartment in the ground.

 

Gideon shimmied along the ground, back toward the base of the fake tree to examine the book. It certainly wasn’t in the best condition - ‘well loved’, as his mother would say. It was a sort of burgundy colour with golden fastenings on the spine and cover corners. In the center of the cover was a golden, six-fingered hand with a bold number three written on it.

 

The forest wasn’t a place Gideon pegged as somewhere you frequently found books. Given how intricately - and mysteriously - this one had been hidden, it must have been something very important. Gideon stood, carefully sealing away the strange machine in the metal tree and scampering back to the hiking trail. He’d have plenty of time to investigate the journal once he was safe in his room. He was sure Grunkle Stan was expecting him by now.

 

He took back his earlier notions of having a long, boring summer in Gravity Falls. This place was crawling with mysteries.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I spent far too much time fussing over this, alternating between "yes, perfect, what a good line" and "oh god, that's so embarrassing, delete!". Hopefully this chapter is up to snuff - the Gleeful twins are in this one! Thank you to everyone who has commented/kudos'd this so far. It means a lot to me!

**Against the Mirror - Chapter 2**

 

The sun had set without much further ado in the little town of Gravity Falls. Gideon had spent the night making simple small talk with Grunkle Stan, all the while trying to find the most convenient excuse to flee to his room to examine the mysterious book he’d found in the woods.

 

It had turned out to be a journal of sorts. Gideon spent more time than he’d meant staying up late into the night, fervently flipping through the book’s informative pages. Apparently, Gravity Falls was host to all sorts of paranormal critters. The mole men had their own two-page spread, detailing their appearance, mannerisms, and the strange, soft crystals that grew deep underground in their tunnels. There was a note about the purported “Mole King”, as well, explaining that typically whichever mole was the biggest and meanest was denoted their ruler - a mostly meaningless title that came with an excuse to boss the other moles around.

 

How the author of this journal had managed to compile all of this was a curious mystery to Gideon. The journal was detailed and thorough, the sketches looked lovingly done, and throughout the book were patches of coded language Gideon couldn’t begin to think how to decipher.

 

He’d found the page about the mole men while quickly flipping through the pages. Eventually, the sketches and detailed accounts trailed off, leaving a sliver of blank pages in the journal. Even with the empty pages, the book was plenty full of mysteries. He was sure he’d have more than enough to keep him occupied over the summer - even if he was only occupied with avoiding said mysteries.

 

Gideon was seated on his bed with the book propped open in front of him. He’d only recently woken up, just as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Gideon, however, felt fully alert. Likely his time zone-hopping from yesterday’s flight was to blame. He paged through the book idly, stopping when he got to an entry that had caught his interest last night.

 

“ _Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed, I'm being watched._ ” the page said. “ _I must hide this book before_ He _finds it. Remember, in Gravity Falls there is no one you can trust. Trust no one!_ ”

 

_Trust no one_ seemed a pretty heavy-handed sentence to give to the lone new kid in town. That instruction alone seemed to throw all notions of making summer friends out the window - although, only yesterday he hadn’t been altogether interested in _new friends_ to begin with. Could he not trust Robbie, either? He seemed nice enough, but he’d just met the guy. Could he not even trust Grunkle Stan?

 

Gideon reread the page a few times, as if perhaps he could divine a more clear meaning from the message the sixth or seventh time through. It seemed clear enough. Keep the book a secret; keep the mole encounter a secret. The cryptically emphasized ‘ _He_ ’ the book was talking about was less clear. Gideon had deduced that the book was hidden to keep it from this mystery man. What if _He_ was still around? Gideon doubted his book-protecting skills were up to snuff, but he was too interested in the journal’s contents to think about hiding it again.

 

It was a Sunday. Being the weekend, the Shack was bound to still be bustling with tourists and customers. The week itself, Robbie explained as he dragged up a chair for Gideon behind the checkout counter, was usually less busy, but people did venture out here to camp among the wildlife in the summer months. Summer was tourist season, busy season, and therefore, money season.

 

“I don’t work every day, of course. Mr. Pines usually doesn’t run tours Tuesday to Thursday, although sometimes he’ll run the gift shop himself.”

 

Gideon hadn’t seen much of his great-uncle when he was handling tours yesterday. He’d spent a bit of last night talking about how he’d been doing in school, what his parents were up to these days, if he had a _girlfriend_ (to which he made an embarrassed face and _no_ , Grunkle Stan, he didn’t have a sweetheart), and other general family chitchat. He seemed busy again today, starting up the round of morning tours and leaving Gideon to man the shop with Robbie.

 

Another tour was just starting up, and the patrons of the last tour had finally milled away from the Shack, taking their kitschy keepsakes they purchased with them. Gideon was seated next to Robbie behind the till. The teen had his thick novel open again, while Gideon had grabbed one of the folktale books from the display stand. He was flipping through it idly, wondering if any of the tales in this book had credence to them. Just as he started reading about the local Bigfoot lore, the bell hanging over the shop entrance gave a cheery tinkle.

 

Gideon looked up as Robbie did, blinking in surprise as he noticed the newcomer was a young blonde girl in a blindingly tacky jacket.

 

“Um… hey.” Pacifica Northwest greeted, her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets and her eyes drifting uncertainly from display case to display case.

 

“Hey Pacifica.” Gideon said, blinking at her in surprise. “Uh, Robbie,” he said, turning to the teen and gesturing to their new guest, “this is Pacifica Northwest. I met her yesterday. Pacifica, this is Robbie.”

 

Robbie raised an eyebrow as he appraised the new girl. “Northwest, huh?”

 

“Yeah.” Pacifica mumbled, shrinking back and blushing lightly under his scrutiny. Gideon watched the exchange, somewhat confused.

 

“So uh, what’re you doin’ ‘round here?” Gideon asked, pulling his attention from Robbie’s critical look.

 

Pacifica gladly turned her attention to him. “Well, actually, I… well, I came to see if maybe you wanted to hang out today?”

 

Gideon blinked, turning questioningly to Robbie.

 

“Go ahead.” the teen replied, smiling as he returned to his book. “You don’t _actually_ work here, you’re allowed to go goof off whenever you like.”

 

Gideon nodded. “Sure, why not.” he said, sliding out of the chair and trotting around the counter to Pacifica’s side.

 

Pacifica beamed, her braces gleaming. “Alright, great, uh. I can show you around the town, I guess, if you’d like that.”

 

She turned on her heel and galloped out the door, tinkling the bell again as she went. Gideon followed at a more leisurely pace, giving Robbie a goodbye wave as he headed out. The journal’s warning flashed in the back of his mind.

 

_Trust no one_.

 

Could Pacifica be trusted? She _had_ appeared out of nowhere, in the woods, when he’d been leaving the hiking trails. She _had_ tried to reprimand him and tell him to get back on the trail, it was _dangerous_ to leave. She’d said it was because people got lost. What if it was because people got _trapped_?

 

Maybe she’d known where the mole tunnels were from the beginning. Maybe she’d chased him down so he _would_ fall into the open chasm. Maybe she was in cahoots with the moles from the beginning. Although… she did stick around to save him after she had escaped. He wasn’t sure what to believe.

 

It was probably best to keep the journal he’d found a secret for now. Trust no one.

 

“So, uh…” Pacifica started, sounding nervous and fiddling with her fingers. “That sure was… something yesterday, wasn’t it?”

 

Gideon bit his lip. “Yeah… definitely something.”

 

The two walked quietly, the Mystery Shack slowly disappearing from view behind them. After a moment of quiet walking, Pacifica shuddered. “Oh, this feels so _awkward_ , I’m sorry Gideon. I think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday and then - well then - y’know,” she dropped her tone conspiratorially, “the moles happened.” She grimaced. “So, can we start over today? Please?”

 

Gideon looked at her quizzically. “Well… sure. If you wanna?”

 

Pacifica looked relieved. She sped up, trotting out in front of him and coming to a complete stop. “Okay, good, good. I’m Pacifica Northwest, again. Nice to meet you.” she said, sticking out her hand for a handshake.

 

Gideon took her hand in his, biting his lip as she gripped his hand a little more tightly than he’d expected. “Yeah, good to meet you again, too.”

 

Pacifica was still grinning as she fell back beside Gideon. “So you’re from Texas, huh? Anyone in your family a cowboy? Do you own a horse?”

 

Gideon rolled his eyes so fiercely he was sure she could hear them turning in his head. “Ain’t no _cowboys_ in my family. Don’t own a horse neither - but I’ve ridden one.” _At a country fair_ , he thought.

 

“Ah, that’s cool. Have you been here before, at all?”

 

“Once, but I don’t remember much.” Gideon said. “Grunkle Stan’s about the only family we have out here. We don’t see him often.”

 

Pacifica nodded, falling quiet again while they trekked closer to town. She seemed to be running something through her head for a while. “So,” she said, glancing around for possible eavesdroppers. “About yesterday, um. I wanted to thank you for, uh,” she paused, gesturing vaguely with her hands, “y’know, saving me from a lifetime of mole servitude.”

 

Gideon cracked a smile at that. “I think I oughta be thankin’ _you_. I would’ve been stuck in that tunnel if you hadn’t helped haul me up. Sorry about your jacket, by the way.”

 

Pacifica shrugged, looking somewhat bashful. “Oh, that old thing. I’ve got… a few other jackets. That one wasn’t anything special.” she said, looking down at her feet. “I guess we both saved each other then, huh?”

 

“Sounds like it.”

 

The town was quickly coming into view. Pacifica perked up, coming into familiar territory. She picked up the pace slightly, urging Gideon to keep up with her. “C’mon, I’ll give you the grand tour of the town! What do you wanna see first? The town mall? Where the closest tourist information booth is? Hiking trail excursion groups? The playground? There’s lots of stuff to see.”

 

Gideon hoofed it after her, having a hard time not picking up her enthusiasm. “I’ve had enough of the hiking trails for a bit, I think.” he said. Pacifica nodded in agreement, her eyes wide. “I guess the playground sounds… good?”

 

The playground turned out to be a square field the size of a postage stamp with a slide, sandbox, monkey bars, and a swing set. Gideon raised an eyebrow as Pacifica held out an arm dramatically, gesturing to the rather small sight. Still, there were a few kids here playing on this and that, or ignoring the equipment altogether in favour of playground games with one another.

 

“All the kids here are a bit younger than us, don’t y’think?” Gideon asked, surveying the kids with a critical eye.

 

“Yeah, I guess they are.” Pacifica said with a shrug. “Most older kids will go off and play their own games in the one soccer field, or they’ll just hang out at their own houses.” She turned to him with a smile. “But yeah, not actually much to see here. Anything else you want to check out?”

 

Gideon shrugged. “I dunno. What do you do for fun ‘round here?”

 

“Me?” Pacifica pointed to herself. “Um… I guess I’m a bit of a TV junkie. I dunno, I stay at home a lot or take hikes in the woods. I’m pretty boring.”

 

Gideon thought that a girl that had more than one flashy neon jacket that screamed suspiciously of belonging to a two-decades-old era couldn’t possibly be ‘ _boring_ ’. He didn’t know where she’d gotten her light-up shoes, either, as he couldn’t think of any store he’d been in having something like those on sale. “Do you ever go out with your friends? You said the town kids play out in the soccer field sometimes.”

 

“Oh, well…” Pacifica trailed off, looking uncomfortable as she idly dragged a foot across the ground. “Y’know. Sometimes, yeah, I guess…”

 

Gideon decided to drop the subject for now. “There’s a lot of tourist shops in town. Let’s walk by ‘em again. Maybe something’ll catch my eye.”

 

The two set off again, retracing their steps through town. Gideon let Pacifica ramble on about how most of the town’s revenue came from the summer tourist season, and how she really _did_ like tourist season because of how busy the town got, even if a lot of the other kids thought it was annoying and frustrating how full everywhere seemed. She pointed out the names of stores as they walked through downtown, gesturing toward the proprietors she knew by name and waving to one or two. They’d just passed by another cabin-themed store with hiking gear displayed in the front window when a particular poster managed to pique Gideon’s interest.

 

“Who’re they supposed to be?” he asked, interrupting one of Pacifica’s spiels to jam his finger toward a poster featuring twins clad in powder blue stage apparel. They both had a look on their face that he supposed was supposed to be charming, but came across as discordantly devious. Sprawling, fantastical text arched over their heads, proclaiming them to be ‘The Telepathy Twins’, and that their ‘awe-inspiring’ magic shows could be seen on certain dates at the Tent of Telepathy.

 

“Oh, those are the Gleeful twins.” Pacifica said, her head snapping immediately to what he’d been gesturing to. “They’re… uh… well I’ve never actually talked to them, myself. I’ve been to a couple of their shows before. The tricks they do are pretty cool. They’re around our age, I think.”

 

Gideon nodded. “The way they’re posing makes ‘em look kinda pretentious, don’t you think?”

 

Pacifica wrinkled her nose. “They put on a really good show. I think it’s mostly for appearance’s sake. They want to look like they’re some kind of sorcerer and sorceress, I guess. It’s like, their shtick, you know?”

 

He nodded again. “Tourist-attracting stuff, yeah, I get that. So they just do your typical magic show - pulling bunnies out of hats and sawing people in half, stuff like that?”

 

“And some other neat magic tricks too.” Pacifica grinned. “Do you want to go see one of their shows?” she asked suddenly. “They usually do shows on weekends, so this’ll be a good time to go see them, if you want.”

 

“Sounds like fun.” Gideon said, looking down the poster for the listed showtimes. It did indeed appear that Friday through Sunday were packed with shows, where weekdays were more hit-or-miss.

 

“Great!” Pacifica sounded excited. “Want to see the one at seven? That’ll give me time to get there after supper - oh, do you know where the Tent of Telepathy is? I can show you!” Pacifica said, about to set off with Gideon again before she was interrupted by an insistent beeping from her wrist.

 

She lifted her arm, rolling back her jacket sleeve to reveal a purple digital wristwatch. “Oh, wow, I didn’t realize how long we’ve been walking around for! I’ve gotta get home for lunch - I’ll show you where the Tent is tonight, ok? I’ve gotta run, thanks for hanging out with me, Gideon!” Pacifica said, spinning away from the boy and sprinting toward the residential part of town.

 

Gideon waved goodbye to Pacifica’s retreating back. He turned to the poster again, looking at the young kids who apparently put on a professional magic show. He’d seen a show or two back home - he’d been enamoured by parlor tricks just as much as the next kid - but they were all done by adults. He couldn’t even pull off the classic ‘coin behind your ear’ trick. His fingers just weren’t fast enough. If these guys could actually saw a person in half, he was impressed, and a little jealous.

 

After he’d gotten his fill of ogling the poster, he too turned away from the display and headed back down the path toward the Mystery Shack. Lunch sounded like a great idea.

 

\---

 

Gideon had asked Robbie and Grunkle Stan if they had seen the Telepathy Twins perform before. Stan had shaken his head, muttering something about ‘cheap competition’ and how _of course_ you’d get herds of patrons if you dressed up two little kids and had them dance around the stage playing at phony magic tricks. Robbie had been marginally more informative.

 

The twins were not exactly _local_ but not exactly _out-of-towners_ either. Their family was from somewhere indistinctly ‘in the area’ and had moved into Gravity Falls a few years ago. Almost immediately, they’d embraced the tourist-town atmosphere and set up a magic act, which was an instant success ( _too instant, if you ask me_ , Grunkle Stan had interjected). Robbie had seen their act a couple times before. They were good - professional, even.

 

“They must spend a lot of time practising. They put on a really good show.” Robbie said. Grunkle Stan rolled his eyes behind him.

 

“Yeah, well, you can’t beat _real_ local flavour.” Stan said. “It’s the monsters and mythical creatures this town is supposed to be about. You can’t make a good folktale out of a couple of brats in stage glitter.”

 

Pacifica showed up for the second time at the Shack that day at half past six. She looked just as uncertain about being there as she had the first time. Gideon quickly joined her at the door.

 

“Don’t give too much business to those hack jobs!” Grunkle Stan called out as they left the Shack, strolling leisurely into town.

 

“Doesn’t your great-uncle like magic shows?” Pacifica asked, chuckling.

 

“I guess he’s just not into friendly competition.” Gideon said, returning the laugh quietly.

 

The Tent of Telepathy was a sizeable attraction, Gideon realized as the two of them approached the venue. People were already queueing up to get in, chattering excitedly. Almost all of them looked to be tourists - either wearing some kind of Gravity Falls gear, or standing out with a giant camera around their neck. Gideon supposed he fit in pretty well with his pine tree hat sitting snugly atop his head.

 

“Oh man, look at the line.” Pacifica said, wrinkling her lip. “I hope we get in.”

 

They managed to get in just fine, and even scored seats in the fourth row from the front of the stage. As the hour quickly approached seven, the rows filled up entirely. Apparently the last show of the weekend was a busy one - the rows felt snug and packed with people. Gideon took this as a positive sign that the twins would put on at least an entertaining show, if not the mind-blowing magic he was promised.

 

The lights in the tent began to dim while the stage lights flared to life. The speakers that had been playing soft, whimsical music quieted, the music fading into an unmistakable drumroll.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, here are the kids you’ve been waiting for, the spectacle of the night! Allow me to introduce you to… the Telepathy Twins!”

 

The stage curtains swept open to reveal two intricately costumed kids posed haughtily in the center of the stage. The girl stood in a loose pose, her hands on her hips and a broad grin on her face. The boy looked a little more rigid, his arms crossed surreptitiously. He too was smiling, but calmly, and without baring his teeth. Their outfits were similarly made - both powder blue and navy. The girl wore a jacket over a blouse with ruffled sleeves. She had on navy tights and legless, navy bottoms. She looked the part of a showgirl. The boy had on a dress shirt and a cape, and well-pressed navy dress pants. Their elaborate costumes were accented with choice baubles. The girl wore a jewel clipped onto her headband; the boy, a matching brooch at his neck.

 

 

 

“Hello, beautiful audience!” the girl spoke, reaching out as if to embrace the people in the crowd. “Welcome to another magical evening in the Tent of Telepathy! I’m Mabel Gleeful.”

 

“And I’m Dipper Gleeful.” the boy said, not flourishing like his sister had, but smiling a bit more broadly now. “We hope you’re ready for an engaging—”

 

“Mystical—”

 

“Curious—”

 

“Magnificent—”

 

“And utterly _unbelievable_ night.” Dipper finished, his teeth now fully bared in a grin. Gideon thought he looked more sinister than cheerful.

 

The audience cheered and clapped as the twins gave a little flourish. Pacifica was applauding along next to him - he followed suit and put his hands together, leaning over to whisper to her under the noise of the crowd. “Are they supposed to look so… devious?”

 

“I think it’s part of their _edgy_ act. It’s like… their character? I dunno how stage shows really go.” Pacifica said with a shrug. “They’re supposed to be kind of… mysterious and mischievous, I think?”

 

Gideon nodded, sitting up straight again as the audience quieted. Mabel took center stage again. “Now, over the course of the evening, we’ll be asking for several volunteers to help us out with some of our tricks! Anyone who comes up on stage to perform with us will receive a small thank-you souvenir at the end of the show.” said Mabel.

 

“Now, without any further ado,” Dipper piped up, sliding up to his sister’s side and conjuring a large bouquet of flowers from behind her. “Let’s get on with the show.”

 

As Dipper spoke, the flowers rustled. The petals twisted and turned, transforming into several colourful birds before the audience and taking off through the tent. As the birds skimmed over their heads, the spectators ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’. Gideon even heard an excited squeal from some of the more enthusiastic show-goers. He grinned along with Pacifica next to him, feeling the buzz of the crowd’s excitement.

 

The twins plunged ahead into their act, whipping out many of the staples of a magician’s act. Gideon had seen a few magic acts before, but he found it just as easy as the rest of the crowd to be awed by their spectacular illusions. They had locking rings, trick wands that exploded with firecrackers, silk handkerchief chains that they pulled from impossibly small hiding places (which they went on to change the colour of), and even the classic hat trick from which they produced not only a rabbit, but several more of the rainbow-feathered birds. Gideon was impressed.

 

After they’d exhausted their solo theatrics, they started to call on volunteers in the audience. They pulled out several decks of cards and set them on a table onstage, allowing their assistants to choose whichever deck they pleased for their trick. The volunteers each contemplated the decks seriously before choosing whichever they thought would be the most likely to trip up the twins. Each card trick still went swimmingly. The twins correctly called picked cards, made cards disappear, reappear, swap places between two volunteers’ hands unseen, and predicted the suit and number of cards even yet to be drawn.

 

Soon enough, the cards were put away, and larger equipment was dragged out. The twins proclaimed that they had three big finale tricks, for which they needed only the bravest of volunteers. The first that came onto stage was cut in half and reassembled onstage, before walking off with a giant, silly grin, as completely intact as he’d been when he first walked up. The second volunteer was locked in a trunk, vanished, and reappeared in a second trunk onstage.

 

“We need one last volunteer for our final trick!” Dipper proclaimed, marching to the front of the stage as the previous volunteer toddled back to her seat, grinning and applauding as she went.

 

“Only the bravest will do!” Mabel said, prowling the edge of the stage and surveying eager faces.

 

“Oh, you should volunteer!” Pacifica said, leaning off the edge of her seat excitedly.

 

Gideon raised an eyebrow, giving her his best perplexed look over his smile. “Nah, I’m no performer.”

 

Pacifica made an exasperated sound. “Oh c’mon, _volunteers_ aren’t supposed to be performers!”

 

Gideon chuckled nervously. “Alright, but _brave_?”

 

Pacifica shot him a meaningful look.

 

“Will you let me do the honours?” Mabel called loudly to her brother.

 

“Be my guest.” Dipper said, bowing graciously to her.

 

Mabel grinned, stepping gracefully down the stairs in front of the stage and bringing a finger thoughtfully to her chin. “Hmm…” she said, drawing out her examination. From either side of the tent, kids and adults alike brandished their hands excitedly, all vying for the Gleeful girl’s attention.

 

Mabel sashayed down the center aisle, turned around about midway through the tent, and this time lingered as she neared Gideon and Pacifica’s seats. Pacifica’s eyes lit up and she elbowed Gideon none-too-gently in the side.

 

“Ow, hey - alright, alright.” Gideon mumbled, still looking good humoured as he shot his own arm up to volunteer. Almost instantly Mabel was at their row.

 

“You, yes you. You look like you’ll be perfect for this trick!” Mabel said, smiling a saccharine smile and holding a hand out daintily toward Gideon.

 

Pacifica squeaked excitedly. Gideon slid from his seat and carefully took Mabel’s hand in his own. Her grip was deceptively steady for having looked so delicate. Mabel tugged him out of the audience to a torrent of applause (and more than a couple disappointed groans).

 

“Prepare yourself, darling guests!” Mabel announced as she ascended the stage steps with her volunteer in tow. Dipper had crossed the stage by now too, and Gideon found himself flanked by either twin. Mabel was still smiling sweetly, though her brother had shot her a look that Gideon couldn’t quite read.

 

The twins’ costumes looked even more elaborate up close. He could see more clearly see the star-shaped pin Mabel had tied around her collar with a little blue-black ribbon. Dipper’s shirt pockets were bedazzled with rhinestone jewellery. And - this he wasn’t quite sure of - the boy appeared to have a strange marking on his forehead partly concealed by his bangs that he hadn’t been able to see from the audience.

 

“We hope you’ll find our finale as thrilling as we do.” Dipper said, his momentary lapse of character apparently having passed without any notice.

 

“We believe we’ve saved the best for last.” said Mabel.

 

“And we hope that you agree.” said Dipper.

 

The crowd tittered with anticipation. Gideon’s eyes shot to Pacifica, and she gave him an enthusiastic two thumbs up. He grinned in return.

 

Mabel placed a hand on Gideon’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “What’s your name?”

 

“Gideon Pines.” he said.

 

He didn’t miss the almost inscrutable widening of Mabel’s eyes, nor the way her grin seemed to stretch. “Pines! Is that so? I’m guessing you’re not from around here, though. Where’s home, Gideon?”

 

“Texas.” he said, still grinning, though a little uncertainly now.

 

“Don’t be nervous.” Dipper said. “This is all perfectly safe.” And then, he reached out a sweeping arm across the audience. “It’s time for our final trick of the evening, the impossible—”

 

“And incredible, levitating boy!” Mabel finished, sweeping out her arm much like her brother had.

 

The Gleeful twins led him further back onto the stage, still standing on either side of him. “Now,” Mabel explained, speaking both to the audience and Gideon, “this trick has no props.”

 

“No unnecessary tables or screens or sheets.” Dipper said.

 

“Nothing that could possibly obstruct us from giving our audience the best view possible.” Mabel said. “All you have to do is hold very still.”

 

Gideon nodded. He’d seen a similar trick before. The magicians that came to mind, however, always had their volunteer laying down on a table, or sitting on some kind of chair, which they disassembled to leave their volunteer suspended in mid-air. This seemed different from the tricks he was familiar with.

 

“Now, watch carefully audience.” Dipper said, raising a hand over Gideon’s head - not a particularly difficult feat, as the brunet had a good couple inches on him height-wise. Simultaneously, Mabel reached out a hand and linked it with her brother’s.

 

“No secret wires here!” Mabel said as she and her brother waved their arms in an arc over Gideon’s head.

 

“No hidden supports around him, either.” Dipper said as he and Mabel circled Gideon, switching which side they stood on.

 

“The only thing that will be lifting him is _us_.” said Mabel.

 

The twins released their hands, faced Gideon, and each took three steps backward. They were smiling at one another. Simultaneously, they raised their hands and held them out in front of them, turning their focus from one another, to Gideon. “Relax, and let yourself feel lighter… lighter… lighter…” Mabel chanted.

 

“You’re going to leave the stage, rise high above the audience.” Dipper said, his voice just as mystical as his sister’s.

 

Gideon relaxed as Mabel said, wondering if he’d be able to feel whatever trick they were using to make him levitate. He really hadn’t felt any wires or other support, just as the twins had said, though their display would have been the only time they might have planted any. Maybe the stage itself would change to make it appear like he was floating? He wasn’t sure if the volunteers before him were any wiser on how the tricks they’d performed in actually worked. Maybe he wouldn’t be any wiser to their methods either.

 

While he was ruminating over this, a peculiar sensation came upon him. It wasn’t quite like being _pulled_ ; he certainly didn’t feel the presence of any wires. It was a curious feeling that started in the pit of his stomach and then spread through him. Gideon looked down. The floor was receding away from him - or rather, he was rising away from it. His eyes widened.

 

The twins, still on either side of him, were slowly raising this hands to follow his ascent. Their eyes were trained on him for the time being, but slowly, they turned to face the audience instead.

 

“What do you guys think?” Mabel called cheerfully. “Is he _really_ flying?”

 

Gideon stopped just below where he could be seen beyond the top of the stage curtain. If he reached up now, he was sure he could almost touch the roof of the tent. He was too nervous to move, though, in case he disrupted their trick and made himself fall to the ground. He’d had enough falling to last him the summer.

 

The audience jeered in good humour, calling out their disbelief, urging the twins to go further.

 

“Sounds like they aren’t sure, Mabel.” said Dipper.

 

“Well, let’s try to prove it to them, shall we?” said Mabel.

 

At once, they splayed their fingers and thrust their hands out toward the audience. Gideon felt a tug from the pit of his stomach again, spreading out through his whole body (though much more quickly this time). Faster than he’d risen to the ceiling, he drifted out over top of the audience. He grinned nervously as several spectators whipped cameras in his direction and snapped off several pictures.

 

“That’s got to prove it, right, Dipper?” Mabel asked.

 

“I dunno, sis.” Dipper said, playing up the tone of his voice. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

 

“Of course I am!” Mabel said cheerfully. The twins crossed the stage and linked arms once they reached the middle. Using their free hands, they drew a slow, careful circle in the air above them. Gideon once again felt the eerie pull and watched below as he circled the audience from above. The spectators roared with cheering.

 

Once he’d completed the circuit, he felt himself being lowered back down onto the stage. The whole trip had made him feel slightly nauseous. Before he had a chance to move anywhere, he felt two hands clamp down onto either shoulder.

 

“Let’s have a _huge_ round of applause for Gideon Pines!” Mabel shouted. The crowd erupted with applause and whistles.

 

Dipper gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. “Go ahead back to your seat.” he said.

 

Gideon ambled off the stage on shaky feet, still grinning as the crowd cheered on. He saw Pacifica, who had stood up to cheer when the twins announced him. He joined her, gratefully sliding back into his seat.

 

“That was _amazing_!” Pacifica exclaimed.

 

“That was something else.” Gideon agreed. “I have no idea how they did that.”

 

“Duh, you’re not supposed to - that’s the point of a magic show.” Pacifica said, snapping her eyes back to the stage one the twins began to speak again.

 

“That’s all for us this evening.” Dipper said.

 

“We hope you enjoyed our show.” Mabel said.

 

“And we ask that anyone who volunteered for us tonight stay behind a moment so we can give you a small token of our thanks.” Dipper said with a grin. Gideon felt strangely uneasy; he was certain that for a split second both twins had glanced his way.

 

With a final flourish, the twins grasped each other’s hands, taking grand bows before the audience. Cheers echoed through the air again as the guests got to their feet to applaud the show. The speakers fizzled, show music once again rattling through them to accompany the guests as they departed. Slowly, those sitting around Gideon rose, stretching their arms and chattering giddily amongst themselves. People stepped in slow-motion as the crowd began to filter out through the exit.

 

“You mind if I stick around for you to get your volunteer trinket?” Pacifica asked.

 

“‘Course not.” Gideon said, standing himself once the majority of the audience had left their row. Through the departing crowd he could see the handful of other volunteers sticking around to get whatever gift the Gleefuls had for them.

 

The twins had procured a small square tin from somewhere, about the size and shape of a fishing bait box. The Tent of Telepathy was mostly empty now, the last of the crowd noisily slipping out into the night. Mabel cracked open the box and withdrew a handful of little circular pins. She passed them off to her brother, and the two of them hopped from the stage together to join the small circle of volunteers. They handed them each a pin cheerfully, thanking them for helping out in the show.

 

Mabel plucked one more button from the box before setting it aside onto the stage. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she left her brother to hand out the remainder of pins and approached Gideon and Pacifica herself.

 

She was about Pacifica’s height, Gideon noted, as she passed by the other girl without even a glance and stopped in front of Gideon, one hand casually on her hip while the other brandished the pin. It was a simple little thing - a little circle with an embossed star that matched the one at Mabel’s neck, and the one emblazoned on Dipper’s cape. It seemed to shimmer under the stage lighting as Mabel moved it.

 

“Gideon _Pines_!” Mabel purred, putting the barest of emphasis on his surname. “I wanted to thank you personally for your participation tonight. That’s one of our most well-received tricks - though it does tend to make some volunteers nauseous. You seem to be doing well, though.”

 

Gideon chuckled. “Yeah, uh, that was pretty wild. You guys sure can put on a show.”

 

“I’m so glad you think so!” Mabel said, grinning. “Anyway, I wanted to give you this little keepsake as thanks for volunteering.” she said, holding out the pin between them. Just as Gideon reached to grab for it, she rolled her hand away, pulling her arm back toward her. The pin vanished (most likely into her sleeve), but her grin stayed in place.

 

“Actually, I wanted to give you this little keepsake, but I want to give you it at the Logger’s Trail Buffet House tomorrow night at, say, six o’clock?” Mabel said, looking sly. “For dinner. My treat.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye Gideon saw Pacifica’s jaw drop and her eyes widen. He was stunned into silence for a moment. “Ah, well, uh…” he mumbled, trying to shake off his surprise while rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly.

 

Mabel waited for a moment as he mumbled, her eyes crinkling into her broad grin. “I can tell you whatever you want to know about the town. The places to go for fun. All the best gossip on the townsfolk. The kind of people you’d be better off avoiding.” she said, shooting a measured glance to her side, where Pacifica was hanging back. “And, you know, I might be able to teach you a few,” Mabel reached out suddenly, plucking something from behind Gideon’s ear, “ _tricks_ , if you’re interested in learning.” she said, alluringly holding out the same star pin she’d hidden away a moment ago.

 

“Well… I guess…” Gideon started, biting his lip.

 

“ _Perfect_!” Mabel said, clapping her hands together. “Then, I’ll see you at the restaurant at six PM precisely!” Mabel gave a little flourish that might have been a curtsy as she backed away from Gideon. “Don’t be late, or I’ll be very upset.”

 

With a final wink, Mabel Gleeful spun on her heel and pranced back to join her brother at the stage. Dipper was giving Gideon another unreadable look, but quickly turned his attention to his sister as they took to the stage and promptly disappeared behind the curtains.

 

Gideon swallowed hard, looking cluelessly toward Pacifica. She spoke the exact words on his mind: “Woah, _what_ just happened here?”

 

He shrugged, trying not to look too nervous about his sudden dinner plans. “Let’s get going - it’s getting late.” he said, turning toward the exit of the tent. The other volunteers had already seen themselves out - though he could still hear some chatter from outside, suggesting he wasn’t far behind them. Pacifica quickly joined him at his side.

 

“You’ve got a date with _Mabel Gleeful_! She’s like, one of the most popular girls in Gravity Falls! How - did you like, say something to her when you were on stage?”

 

Gideon shook his head, just as mystified as she was. “No, nothin’ other than what y’all in the audience heard.”

 

Pacifica let out a low whistle. “Guess you’ve just got that animal magnetism people talk about.”

 

Pacifica cheerfully teased Gideon halfway through town until she announced that they should part ways here. With a playful wave goodbye, she jogged off toward the part of town where she lived, while he was left to venture the rest of the way home himself. It was only until he was halfway to the Shack did the cryptic warning of the third journal return to him.

 

Trust no one. Surely that included the Gleeful twins, too. Robbie had mentioned they were actually from “somewhere out of town”, though he’d never specified, or didn’t know, where exactly that was. Were they still considered under the book’s umbrella warning? He supposed he could play it safe, but he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to go out on a date with Mabel Gleeful to begin with. There was something that bugged him about the twins. They were a little… shifty. Even if it was all an act, he didn’t want to risk himself.

 

Still, he had a creeping feeling that he wouldn’t be able to gracefully back down from the date imposed by Mabel. He couldn’t really turn down a free restaurant dinner, could he? It was only one date. It couldn’t end that badly.

 

\---

 

The next day passed without incident. Unless a barrage of teasing and badgering counted as an incident, in which case, the day passed with a constant inflow of incidents. It was a Monday, and apparently a slow day at the Mystery Shack. The tours were fewer and more spread out, and there were fewer tourists in and out of the gift shop than he remembered seeing the days before.

 

Robbie was showing him how to work the cash register - which looked like it was in desperate need of an upgrade. “Even something from this decade would be nice.” Robbie confessed quietly, after glancing around to see that Grunkle Stan wasn’t within eavesdropping distance.

 

Gideon smiled at the older boy. He still hadn’t told anyone about the journal he’d found in the forest, nor had he confided in anyone about the incident with the moles. He doubted Pacifica had told anyone anything either. Who would believe them to begin with? Giant mole men weren’t supposed to exist at all. Still, if anyone in town seemed trustworthy, Gideon believed it to be Robbie. The teen didn’t seem to mind his company, and he joked around with Gideon occasionally too. He liked Robbie.

 

“So where is this Logger’s Trail Buffet place anyhow?” Gideon asked, looking up at the clocks on the gift shop wall and seeing they were just passing five o’clock. Robbie was getting ready to head home for the evening.

 

“Near the intersection between Highside and Smith.” Robbie said idly. Noting Gideon’s blank look, he pulled out one of the tourist information maps kept behind the checkout counter and pointed it out on the map.

 

“It’s about a thirty minute walk from the Shack.” said Robbie, tracing the trail with his index finger. “I could stick around a bit and give you a ride up in one of the golf carts if you don’t wanna walk it.”

 

“Real classy.” Gideon said with a smile.

 

“What? Don’t want to roll up in one of the Shack’s _gleaming_ golf carts?”

 

“Robbie, don’t you drive a real car?” Gideon asked.

 

“Well yeah, but I why wouldn’t I walk to work? All I do all day is sit around.” he said. “Might as well be on my feet when I’m coming and going.”

 

Gideon shook his head. “Go ahead and go home. I’ll walk there myself.” he said, taking a long look at the pamphlet in front of him. It looked a bit out of the way - still in a busy part of town, but not in the main downtown area.

 

“Suit yourself.” Robbie said with a shrug, just as Stan entered the gift shop.

 

“There you are.” he said, patting Gideon’s shoulder as he passed by. “Ready for your dinner with the enemy?”

 

Gideon shrugged and sighed, straightening his hat. “Sure.”

 

“She’s paying, right, that’s what you said?” Grunkle Stan said, settling down into the seat Robbie had just deserted. “You’re gonna order the most expensive stuff on the menu, right?”

 

“Isn’t a buffet kinda a one price deal sort of place?” Gideon asked, cocking an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, sure, sure, just order like… seven milkshakes. Drinks are extra, right?” he said, holding up several fingers to emphasize his point. “If she’s paying, get your money’s worth!”

 

Gideon laughed nervously.

 

“I’m gonna head out now.” Robbie said, slinging his knapsack over one shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning Mr. Pines, Gideon.”

 

They gave Robbie a small wave as he left the Shack. Stan quickly turned to Gideon again, looking almost serious.

 

“Okay, rules for dining with the enemy. Number one: don’t give away any Mystery Shack tour or merchandise secrets.”

 

“Grunkle Stan, I don’t even know any Mystery Shack secrets—”

 

“Rule number two: if she says something that’s supposed to be funny, just laugh. It doesn’t matter if it’s not actually funny. Keep her in good spirits.”

 

“Okay, but—” Gideon interjected, only to be quickly cut off again.

 

“And number three: don’t fall in love with her. I can’t have you dating the competition, unless it’s as a spy of some kind.” Stan paused to scratch his chin. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

 

The look Gideon gave his great-uncle screamed ‘are you kidding me right now’. “Grunkle Stan, I already don’t wanna go on a second date. I kinda got shoehorned into this one - it happened really fast.”

 

“Oh.” Stan said, pausing a moment before slapping Gideon on the shoulder. “Great! I’ll see you later tonight then. Have fun!” he said, retreating back into the Shack.

 

Gideon pressed his palm to his face, glancing at the clocks again and wondering if he ought to head out early, just in case.

 

\---

 

It was five-to-six by the time Gideon stopped in front of the Logger’s Trail Buffet House. It looked like a nice place, by restaurant standards. The exterior was entirely a warm, orangey wood. It looked a lot like a cozy cabin, with big, open windows facing the trees beyond. There was a chalkboard sign outside proclaiming the specials at the buffet that night, and a patio on the upstairs balcony where he could already see people settling down to enjoy the warm evening.

 

Gideon had spent a few minutes preening in the bathroom - which mostly involved patting down his hair and wondering if his black sweater was appropriate attire for a first date. He swapped it out for a dark blue t-shirt last minute, and decided to keep his vest on over top. Deeming himself suitable enough, he trudged from the Shack, still feeling reluctant.

 

He made it to the restaurant easily enough. It seemed fairly low-key; it wasn’t exactly high-class, but it was a far cry from the questionable ‘Greasy’s Diner’ he passed on his route. He checked the time again: two-to-six now. Mabel was certainly already inside, and she’d told him not to be late.

 

Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Gideon strode into the restaurant. Mabel was sitting at a booth against the back wall of the restaurant, but visible from the entrance. He took his time crossing the room. Mabel had her eyes on a small, silver watch on her wrist. He cleared his throat quietly when he reached her.

 

“Gideon!” she said, her eyes snapping up to meet his. “Precisely on time. You’re so punctual. I like that.”

 

Mabel nodded to the seat across from her, smiling broadly and making doe-eyes at him. The little star pin from the Tent of Telepathy was sitting in the center of his placemat, waiting to be claimed. Gideon slipped into the booth and slipped the pin into his pocket. He stretched his mouth in what he hoped was an excited smile.

 

Mabel was wearing the blue-green blouse she had on under her stage jacket in yesterday night’s show. The ends of the sleeves were ruffled and flowed elegantly over her hands. She had forgone the tights for a navy, buttoned skirt that ended just above her knees. She watched him expectantly as he got settled into the seat across from her, waiting for him to speak.

 

“So, uh,” Gideon said, not eager to keep Mabel waiting. “This looks like a nice place.”

 

“It is.” Mabel said, not taking her eyes from Gideon. “It’s one of the better places to eat in Gravity Falls. I hope you like it.”

 

 

A waitress popped up next to Gideon, notepad in hand and all professional smiles. She jotted down their drink orders - an iced tea for Mabel, and ‘ _just water, thanks_ ’ for Gideon, going against Grunkle Stan’s insistence that he run up the bill. Once the waitress flittered off, Mabel made eyes toward the buffet table and the two kids trotted over to fill their plates to their content.

 

“So, Gideon Pines.” Mabel said, pushing carrot slices around her plate with an idle hand. The other supported her chin as she gazed across the table to her dinner partner. “Is that Pines as in, Stanford Pines, owner of that one folklore exhibition - what’s it called - the Mystery Shed?”

 

“Mystery Shack.” Gideon corrected. Mabel didn’t bat an eye. “And yeah, he’s my great-uncle. I’m visiting him for the summer.”

 

“That’s so _interesting_!” Mabel gushed. “So you’ll be spending your whole summer here? That’ll be lots of fun. Summer time is when the town’s the most exciting.”

 

“Yeah.” Gideon said. He was willing to bet that with strange creatures hidden left and right, the town was probably still ‘exciting’ in the other three seasons of the year. “It seems like an interesting place so far, for sure.”

 

“You know,” Mabel started, taking a dainty sip from her tea. “I’ve never actually been to your great-uncle’s _fine_ establishment. And I’ve lived here in town for, oh, going on five years now!” She shot Gideon a cloying look with big doe eyes. “I’d love to come see the place myself sometime.”

 

“Well, uh, there’s tours just about every day…” Gideon trailed off as Mabel’s smile shifted patronizingly.

 

“I meant, I’d love for you to show me around.”

 

“Oh.” Gideon said. “Right… well, maybe…”

 

Mabel laughed, misinterpreting his nerves. “Well it doesn’t have to be _right away_ of course! Just whenever you get a chance - I think the folksy culture of this town is so cute. I’d love to see the displays your great-uncle has up.”

 

Gideon joined her laughter uncomfortably, secretly pleased when their conversation died down. They sat quietly, picking away at their dinner, until Mabel set down her spoon and started toying with her sleeve.

 

“Did you like the show last night, Gideon?” Mabel asked plainly.

 

Gideon looked up. “Yeah. It was pretty incredible. You and your brother are really somethin’ at those illusions of yours.” he said, smiling more sincerely now.

 

Mabel beamed. “That’s so sweet of you to say.” With a quick flourish, Mabel flicked her hand away from her wrist. His eyes didn’t have time to register where she’d produced it from, but in her hand was now a voluminous bouquet of daisies. It seemed much too large to have been hidden up her sleeve - or anywhere on her person at all. She positively glowed when Gideon’s eyes popped in surprise.

 

“I know plenty of tricks, Gideon. I’d be happy to show some more to you, if you were ever so inclined.” she said cheerfully. She set the flowers down beside her, batting her eyes at the boy across from her.

 

Gideon wasn’t sure how to respond. Of course, like most kids his age back home, he’d tried his hand once or twice at learning a fancy card trick, but he didn’t have the patience or the natural talent at sleight-of-hand. Knowing how to pull off tricks like that was an enviable skill.

 

“I was never any good at magic stuff.” Gideon admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Mabel said pawing the air dismissively. “I’ll do all the tricks you want to see. I’m sure there’s plenty of interesting stuff you can show _me_.”

 

Gideon wasn’t too sure about that. About the most interesting thing he could show anyone, he’d only picked up two days ago. And he wasn’t about to go showing off the journal to anyone soon.

 

The two polished off some treats from the dessert bar, and Mabel, true to her word, handled the bill. This did nothing to help Gideon feel any less reluctant about admitting he wasn’t interested in a second date.

 

“It’s always a pleasure to see you around here, Miss Gleeful!” the waitress cooed as she swept away the dinner payment. “You and your brother run one of the greatest shows in town.”

 

“Only _one of_?” Mabel asked playfully.

 

“ _The_ greatest!” the waitress cheerfully corrected herself, stuffing the bill into a pouch on her apron and strolling off to attend to another table.

 

Gideon stretched and hopped down from the bench, carefully avoiding eye contact with Mabel. He was hoping he could manage to slip away with a simple, courteous goodbye and thank you. Mabel, of course, seemed to have different plans.

 

“I really enjoyed that, Gideon.” she said, sliding over to slip her hand into his. “I think the food was excellent. How about you?”

 

“Yeah, it was great. Thanks for dinner, Mabel.” he said, his grip loose on her hand as he eyed the exit. To add to his discomfort, he noticed that a few of the patrons were now staring at the hand-linked pair with small smiles budding on their lips.

 

Mabel led him slowly through the restaurant, flipping her hair with her free hand and waving casually to a few of the staring guests. She came to an abrupt stop in the center of the restaurant - and the center of attention as well, it seemed. Gideon bit his lip.

 

“I think you’re really cute, Giddy - can I call you Giddy?” Mabel asked. Before he could interrupt to say _well, no_ , he didn’t really like the nickname much, Mabel plowed on. She let loose his hand, tucking her arms behind her back and leaning forward ever so slightly. “I also think that another date is in order, don’t you?”

 

A couple people in the restaurant were tittering to one another. Adorable, clever, _famous_ , little Mabel Gleeful had got herself a _boyfriend_. Gideon shrunk away involuntarily.

 

“Look, our adoring public loves us.” Mabel whispered, eyes crinkling in a look Gideon recognized from the Tent of Telepathy poster. Now, he realized, she looked like a force to be reckoned with. “Gideon Pines, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the Cedar Hill Inn Summertime Dance, next week, Saturday?”

 

Mabel Gleeful definitely loved putting on a show. She had posed herself just so, elegantly and fixed, as if she’d just pulled off a particularly clever magic trick. Gideon was sure his eyes were as wide as saucers by now.

 

“Um, well,” Gideon cleared his throat carefully, pausing to look around the restaurant. Those at the tables that were close enough to clearly hear had stopped to watch the exchange with interest and smiles. Even people that were sitting farther away had gotten the gist of the situation and were glancing over in their direction. Mabel’s smile was radiant under their attention.

 

He took a deep breath. “Mabel, ah… the thing is… well, uh, do you mind if we… maybe step outside first?” he said quietly.

 

“Oh, don’t be so embarrassed.” Mabel said with a cheeky wink. “Go on.”

 

Gideon sighed heavily. “Mabel, I’m just… not looking for a summer romance?” he said, getting quieter with every word he spoke.

 

“Beg your pardon?” Mabel said. For only a second her smile seemed to falter. “I couldn’t quite hear that part at the end.”

 

Gideon was feeling the pressure from the other restaurant guests, though Mabel still looked entirely in her element. Taking another calming breath, Gideon spoke a little more loudly, albeit still anxiously. “I’m just not interested Mabel, sorry.”

 

This time Gideon was sure that he’d seen Mabel’s eyes spark with something akin to indignation. Before he could be sure, however, her stage smile was back in place, though she was looking rather put out. The people in the restaurant looked disappointed too - he heard more than one ‘aww, poor Mabel’ from the tables closest to them.

 

Gideon waited nervously for Mabel to make some kind of reply - to cry, to yell, to call him nasty names in front of the restaurant patrons. She only shrugged, looking mildly inconvenienced at best. “That’s alright.” she said.

 

“Er - you’re sure you’re okay?” he asked, feeling confused, but relieved.

 

“Of course. You’re not actually the first boy who’s turned me down.” Mabel said with a sweet smile.

 

Gideon was slightly taken aback by how calm she was. Though, he wasn’t complaining. “I, uh, I’d still like to be friends, er, if you want to.”

 

“Yes, I would like that.” Mabel said, rather diplomatically.

 

Gideon nodded slowly, eyeing the door again. “Well,” he said, smiling awkwardly, “uh, I guess I’ll be heading home now.” Most of the diners in the restaurant had turned their attention away from the pair by now, readily digging into their dinners once more. “Thanks for dinner again, Mabel. I’ll get you back for it, sometime.”

 

“Oh nonsense, it was my treat.” she said. “Come on, we can still leave together.”

 

Mabel waved him onward, smiling her saccharine smile and walking calmly beside Gideon. He had to think that television shows made breakups look a lot more tedious than they had to be - Mabel seemed to be perfectly fine. Cheerful, even.

 

They stepped out of the restaurant, side by side, and bid each other a final farewell. Gideon was finally smiling calmly again. Mabel gave him a brief curtsy-like flourish before traipsing off toward the direction of the Tent of Telepathy, and Gideon turned back to the same trail he’d taken from the Mystery Shack.

 

He’d gotten a free dinner and things had gone smoothly with Mabel to boot. He didn’t have to worry about any more uncomfortable, spur of the moment dates (for now, at least). All in all, he thought the evening had gone remarkably well.

 

\---

 

“So how’d it go?” Pacifica pestered, nudging Gideon playfully as she plunked down next to him on the front porch of the Mystery Shack.

 

It was the beginning of the afternoon on a cloudy Tuesday, the day after Gideon’s dinner with Mabel. He hadn’t been too surprised when Pacifica showed up at the Shack again after lunch. They’d become somewhat cautious friends rather quickly. He supposed that sort of thing _would_ happen to people who had been seized by giant mole men and almost enslaved by their underground king together.

 

“It… went?” Gideon said carefully, recalling the events of the previous night. He shrugged. “I didn’t really want to go in the first place, so I told her I was only interested in being friends.”

 

Pacifica’s eyes bugged. “You said that to Mabel Gleeful?! You know she’s like, the most popular girl in Gravity Falls, right?”

 

“Yeah, you mentioned that. She seemed to take it fine.” Gideon said, edging away from Pacifica’s surprised outburst. “Didn’t bother her none. We walked out the door together smilin’ and everything.”

 

“If you say so.” Pacifica said. “I guess I had her pegged as the dramatic type - you know, being a stage performer and all.”

 

“No, she took it really well.” Gideon said. “Also, on that note, what’s the Cedar Hill Inn Summertime Dance?”

 

“It’s a local annual event. Not super touristy, mostly Gravity Falls residents go. We’ve got a bunch of stuff like that that happens over the summer.” Pacifica said, raising a hand to list them off finger by finger. “There’s Pioneer Day, Summerween, oh, and your great-uncle sometimes throws a ‘Mystery Fair’ here at the Shack… lots of stuff goes on.”

 

“Pretty busy place for a small town.” Gideon remarked.

 

“We like to keep entertained.” said Pacifica. The two sat quietly for a moment until Pacifica loudly interjected. “So! What would you like to do today? I don’t know about you, but I’m still not down for another hike through the woods just yet. There’s always the town lake to go see yet. I guess we could… hang out here, too? I could see if my parents wouldn’t mind me having another kid over at our place, I’ve got some games back there we could play.”

 

“Pacifica.” Gideon interrupted. He’d been wondering how best to bring up the questions on his mind. He still wasn’t ready to trust her completely, but he was terribly curious. “Have you ever run into anything… well, has anything happened to you that was… y’know, like in the forest the other day?”

 

Pacifica stared for a moment. “Like, the mole men?” she asked quietly. Gideon nodded and she looked completely bewildered as she shrugged in response. “No, of course not! I’ve never seen anything like that, not in my whole life! I thought all the folktales around town were, well, folktales. For tourists to gawk over and stuff.”

 

“You seem to be taking this whole ‘monsters are real’ thing really well.”

 

Pacifica laughed. “I dunno, I guess growing up with all the stories and tourist traps, it doesn’t actually seem all that farfetched. You’re the one from out of town - I’d say _you’re_ taking this all really well!”

 

Gideon was about to respond with something sarcastic when he caught sight of a lone approaching figure. He fell silent, staring out through the afternoon sun and trying to see who it was heading toward the Shack. Soon enough, the person came into view. Gideon raised his brow in surprise when he realized it was Dipper Gleeful strolling up casually toward the Mystery Shack.

 

 

Pacifica quieted too as they watched the boy sauntering down the trail. She got to her feet and Gideon followed suit, both of them waving a small greeting to the boy (which he did not return).

 

Dipper was wearing most of his show gear. His pants didn’t seem to be the same well-pressed, sleek pair he wore on stage, and he was lacking his cape, but his dress shirt was clearly the same. His hair was a bit more unruly than it had been when he was performing - Gideon could barely see a trace of the strange birthmark on his forehead.

 

“Hey.” Dipper greeted as he approached the other two kids. He wasn’t looking at them, rather, his clearly unimpressed expression was focused on the Mystery Shack itself.

 

“Hey.” Gideon said, sharing a confused look with Pacifica.

 

Dipper pulled his gaze from the Shack. He settled it over them with an expression that seemed to imply they should be grateful he even deigned to look upon them. “Gideon Pines, right? Just the man I was looking for.” he said with a smile.

 

“Yeah,” Gideon said, still feeling confused over Dipper’s surprise visit. “Do you need me for somethin’?”

 

“You could say that.” Dipper said, stretching his grin even farther. “I’m just here on behalf of my sister. You’re new in town, and I hear you’re spending the whole summer here, right?” At Gideon’s nod, he continued. “Well, you told Mabel you wanted to be friends - I thought I would stop by to give my own welcome.”

 

Gideon nodded slowly, not sure what else to say. Dipper didn’t seem trifled by his silence. Instead, he ploughed on. “It can be difficult, being the new kid in town, not knowing any of the other kids. Believe me, I know. I came here to see if you wanted to, oh, I don’t know, hang out a bit later this evening?”

 

Whatever Gideon had expected the boy to be visiting him over, it wasn’t that. He also had a hard time believing that Dipper had much difficulty finding friends when he’d first moved here - he was talented and seemed charismatic enough. “Oh,” he said, not quite hiding his surprise. “Well, uh, I guess… that’d be cool.”

 

“Great,” Dipper said. “I can show you a few magic tricks of my own, if you’re interested. I’ll teach you a couple, even. You are interested, right?”

 

“Well uh, like I told your sister, I probably won’t be much good at any magic tricks…” Gideon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

Dipper’s eyes suddenly shot from him to Pacifica. Gideon had noticed her making some kind of shuffling movement at his side. He glanced toward her too, and noticed her trying to shove a small box deeper into her jacket pocket. The other boy must have seen it more clearly than he did, because he took that moment to comment: “Unless, of course, your… _acquaintance_ here plans on showing you first? What’s in your little toy magic kit?”

 

“Nothing. I-It’s nothing.” Pacifica said dismissively - though Gideon thought he noticed a touch of blush on her cheeks.

 

“I hope your little box comes with the broken wand trick - I love that one.” Dipper said, his voice not altogether kind. Pacifica’s blush deepened and Dipper turned his attention back onto Gideon. “I’ve got some really interesting tricks I’d like to show you - in fact, there’s a new one I’d like to try out. You could give me your opinion on if it’s show worthy or not.”

 

“Well, uh,” Gideon started, looking to Pacifica questioningly. She gave a small shrug and almost indiscernible nod, though she did look a bit put out. “Yeah, sounds good to me. When did you want to meet up?”

 

“We’ve got a weekday show tonight - a bit earlier than the one on Sunday.” Dipper said. “How about in the evening, just after that wraps up? Eight o’clock?”

 

Gideon nodded and Dipper grinned. “Excellent! Mabel and I usually practise our big tricks out in my family’s warehouse - I’ll get you the address. There’s lots of space and it’s quiet. No one around to make fun of you if you _do_ end up messing up any tricks.”

 

“I reckon I will.” Gideon laughed quietly. “I don’t have the knack for magic tricks.”

 

“Oh, no, the trick I have in mind is easy peasy. I’m sure that even, ah,” Dipper paused, concentrating for a moment as his eyes fell back toward Pacifica, giving her that same look he’d seen on Robbie’s face two days ago. “Antarctica here could pull it off.”

 

Pacifica bristled next to him, but made no comment. Gideon tensed up too as he saw Pacifica’s head droop, her eyes now determinedly focused on the ground. He was starting to have second thoughts about meeting up with the pricklier of the Gleeful twins.

 

“Anyway, I’ve got some setting up and other errands to do. I hope I’ll see you tonight!” Dipper said, shooting Gideon a smile and a wave.

 

“Yeah, I’ll see you tonight.” Gideon said.

 

“Get ready to see some great tricks. I’ll give you a lesson for the ages.” Dipper said, giving an about-face and striding off with that same casual confidence he’d strolled up with.

 

Gideon watched as Dipper disappeared down the trail into town. Pacifica still looked detached, her hands shoved in her pockets and her eyes downcast. Gideon cleared his throat quietly. “I take it you’re not the most popular gal in town.” he said bluntly.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Pacifica said.

 

“How come everyone seems to know who you are?” Gideon pried.

 

“It’s a small town.” Pacifica snapped quietly. “Everyone knows who everyone is.”

 

Gideon fell quiet. The little box Dipper had pointed out was still jutting awkwardly from Pacifica’s coat pocket, fighting for space against her hand. He could see now, written on the edge of the box in sharp, curving letters: “dazzle your friends!”. It did look like a kid’s magic set.

 

“You can show me that trick in your pocket if you want.” Gideon said.

 

Pacifica jumped slightly, blushing harder than before and trying vainly to shove the box out of sight within her coat. Had she been an illusionist like the Gleefuls, it surely wouldn’t have been a task for her at all. Pacifica, however, couldn’t quite get her kit to vanish even into her pocket. She let out a hard breath through her nose, shaking her head and turning away from him. “No, just - nevermind. I think I’m just gonna… head out for now.” she said, quickly trampling down the rickety steps. “I’ll see you later, Gideon.”

 

Gideon watched her vanish down the trail.

 

\---

 

The Gleeful’s Tent of Telepathy warehouse was a bit of the way out of town, just slightly out of sight in the same way the Mystery Shack was. There was a good deal of open space around the old storage building. Gideon had taken a wide path that carved through the forest, and arrived uneventfully at the address Dipper had listed for him.

 

It was a few minutes before Dipper’s proposed meeting time when Gideon tentatively knocked on the warehouse’s front entrance. He thought he could see a dim light on in the building, but other than that, it looked entirely lifeless inside. No one answered his knock.

 

He checked the time again: five-to-eight. Maybe he’d gotten here before Dipper did - he and his sister did have a show earlier, though he thought that had ended an hour ago. He wrinkled his lip, cautiously testing the door to see if it was unlocked. As he turned the handle, the door clicked open. Only slightly surprised, Gideon let himself into the open warehouse.

 

He’d stepped into a small front office. Beyond the open doorway in this room he could see the wide, open space Dipper had mentioned. The walls were lined with boxes and crates labelled with different kinds of Tent of Telepathy merchandise. Most of the boxes seemed to be filled with home magic kits that looked similar to the one Pacifica had in her pocket. They looked like typical cheap parlour tricks - the vanishing coin, trick decks, magic ladders - all kinds of simple prestidigitation. There were costumes made to imitate those of the Gleeful twins, crafted with cheap-looking fabric. He saw cases of magician hats, capes, and wands shelved along one wall. They certainly seemed to have an elaborate line of merchandise, Gideon thought as his eyes travelled over an assortment of kid’s toys.

 

“Gideon, you made it!” a voice at his shoulder snapped.

 

Gideon jumped and yelped in surprise, spinning around to see Dipper Gleeful looming just behind him. He hadn’t heard the door open or shut. The other boy must have gotten here before him.

 

He laughed as Dipper grinned. “Heh, you spooked me - were you there the whole time?”

 

Dipper only responded with an ominous smile. “Find the place alright?”

 

“Sure did.” said Gideon.

 

“Glad to hear it.” Dipper said.

 

Gideon shuffled his feet a little uncomfortably. Dipper had a different sort of presence than his sister. Mabel, while still haughty, at least seemed affable. Dipper was more standoffish - Gideon felt infinitely smaller around him. “So, uh, what did you wanna do first?”

 

“Oh, I thought we could jump right into some tricks.” Dipper said with a smirk. Gideon felt a strange, but familiar tugging sensation in the pit of his stomach. Surprised, he jerked his head toward the floor to see that his feet were now hovering several inches from the ground.

 

“What the—”

 

Gideon’s breath caught in his throat as he felt himself thrust backward through the air, as if a huge invisible hand had given him a swat. He was jerked to a stop in the center of the storeroom. His arms curled around his stomach, trying to stem the sudden nausea bubbling within.

 

“I said I’d teach you a lesson, didn’t I? I am a man of my word.” Dipper said smugly, walking toward where Gideon hung in midair. His hands were tucked casually in his pockets and his smile was stretched sinisterly across his face.

 

“H-How are you doin’ this?” Gideon stuttered, running his hands along his shoulders, waving them through the air in search of support wires. “What do y’mean?”

 

Dipper snickered, shaking his head sadly. “Maybe I’m just a really good magician, Pines. There are some things that you just don’t get to know. And, apparently, some things you _should_ know that I have to teach you.” Dipper’s false smile flipped to a glower. “Starting with this: you _do not_ upset my sister.”

 

Gideon’s arms froze. Slowly, against his will, they were pressed down from where he’d been waving and snapped flat against his sides. Gideon’s heart thudded loudly in his ears, but he returned Dipper’s glare. “What are you goin’ on about? I didn’t hurt your sister none!”

 

Dipper’s eyes flashed dangerously and suddenly Gideon felt a strange constricting force stretch over him from head to toe. He couldn’t move at all. “I suppose it’s fair to say you’ve never been asked out by a town celebrity before.” he said, his mouth twitching upward mockingly. “Say - maybe you’ve never even been asked out at all before. How embarassed do you think my sister felt when you _broke her heart_ in front of all her adoring fans?”

 

“What?” Gideon stared. “I didn’t - she - she said she was fine!”

 

Dipper advanced on him even more predatorily. “Are you a complete idiot? You turned my sister down in front of everyone in that restaurant. Famous, sweet little Mabel Gleeful - apparently not sweet enough for Gideon Pines.” he said, raising his eyebrows. “A couple of people came up to her after the show today to tell her to keep her chin up - they were in the restaurant yesterday night and saw what happened. Mabel hates being _pitied_.”

 

Gideon stared defiantly. “L-Look,” he stammered, biting his lip against the quiver in his voice. “I tried to get her to go outside with me where all those folks weren’t watching—”

 

Gideon’s stomach lurched as he was swung to the side. He pinwheeled in the air, his feet swung up above him so he was hanging upside down and staring into the serious face of Dipper Gleeful. “No, you look. Maybe you don’t get how this goes?” Dipper growled. “You don’t disrupt an actress’ performance. You’re supposed to follow the show. When you’re on stage, you go with the flow - you don’t make a disruption. You please the crowd. You say yes to what my sister asks you. _You don’t upset my sister_.”

 

“We weren’t _on_ stage—”

 

“Wherever we go, _everything_ is a stage!” Dipper snarled.

 

Gideon felt anger bubbling under his fear. “Let me down from here!” he yelled, hoping the bravado in his voice held up.

 

Dipper’s eyes widened. His lips twitched and suddenly he was laughing. “Are you kidding me? You’re in no position to be making demands, Pines.”

 

The blood rushing to his head helped hide the blush from his failed bluster. He mustered a glare and Dipper returned a smile.

 

“I’m going to teach you what happens when you displease someone much, _much_ more powerful than you. And afterwards, you’re going to _beg_ my sister to go with you to the Cedar Hill Inn Summertime Dance. I’ll even set up a venue for you to do it. I’ll make sure you’ve got a good crowd for your show.” Dipper said, his sinister smile glowing on his face.

 

And it did seem to be glowing. Gideon’s eyes travelled to the gaudy stone at Dipper’s neck and realised the air seemed to be distorted around it, like heat waves rising from hot tarmac. The stone itself emitted a faint, eerie green aura that had been lighting up Dipper’s face. He hadn’t noticed until now.

 

Another powerful lurch pulled at his stomach and Gideon was summarily tossed through the air to smack against the back wall of the warehouse. Boxes full of merchandise fell and scattered around him as he landed heavily. He’d seen, though, out of the corner of his eye, the glow from the jewel at Dipper’s neck flare the moment he felt himself yanked back.

 

He’d been stupid to come here alone. He’d been stupid to come here at all. _Trust no one_ , the book had warned him. How was he supposed to get by over the summer all on his own? He didn’t stand a chance: not in Gravity Falls, and definitely not here against Dipper Gleeful.

 

He felt himself being lifted again by the same psychic force and braced himself for the next blow. “Don’t be afraid to speak up once you’ve had enough.” Dipper said. He crossed the warehouse with long, confident strides. “Wouldn’t want you,” Gideon gasped as he was thrown against the floor roughly, “getting _too_ ,” and again, “banged up,” against the wall this time, “before your big show.”

 

Gideon felt his breath leave him in a sharp puff of air as Dipper threw him against the wall again. This time, he wasn’t immediately pulled away. Dipper looked up to where Gideon was pressed, immobile, against the wall.

 

“We don’t have to be enemies.” Dipper said, almost genially. Gideon snarled at him - they sure weren’t going to be _friends_ , not after this. “I just want you to understand, I hate seeing Mabel distraught over some out of town runt with a hillbilly accent.”

 

“I ain’t no _hillbilly_!” Gideon growled.

 

Dipper smiled unkindly. “Sorry cowpoke, did I push a button?”

 

Gideon felt himself pulled forward only to be bashed into the reinforced concrete walls once, twice, three times. His vision was dancing with flickering lights as he struggled to keep up his glare. It could have been a trick of his dizzied mind, but he could have sworn he saw covert movement from further back in the warehouse. He and Dipper weren’t here alone. He didn’t want to imagine what he was in for if Dipper had brought Mabel along to back him up.

 

“So Pines.” Dipper said, casually crossing his arms as he stared up at his quarry. “Have I managed to get through to you yet?”

 

Gideon’s voice was shaky as he spoke. “All this over a stupid dance?”

 

“It’s not about the dance, you absolute idiot. It’s about _reputation_!” Dipper said. “And you’re going to make it up to Mabel.”

 

This time Gideon saw the movement more clearly. Someone was slowly sneaking up behind Dipper. Gideon fought against the urge to gasp once he saw who it was. Instead, he turned his attention fully onto Dipper.

 

“If you just want me to go to the dance with your sister, fine, whatever, but I’m just not interested in… dating her, okay?” he said quickly and loudly.

 

“I’m not interested in you dating her either.” Dipper said with a look of distaste. “I’m _interested_ in not having you humiliate Mabel in front of a crowd of people. In case you don’t know how small towns work: _news travels fast_ and what is that look supposed to be for?”

 

Gideon didn’t have a chance to answer before a voice sounded from an arm’s length behind Dipper. “Hey, Ursa Major _Jerkwad_!”

 

Dipper jumped, caught off guard, and spun around just in time to receive an eyeful of Pacifica’s closed fist. “Leave my friend alone!”

 

Dipper reeled from the punch and Gideon felt the energy holding him aloft falter for a moment. He and Dipper both dropped to the ground as Pacifica fumbled in her pocket for something.

 

“Pacifica, get the pin around his neck - the brooch - the, uh, jewel thing!”

 

“Shut _up_!” Dipper shouted, pulling himself to his knees and sending a venomous glare Gideon’s way. Gideon felt his body immediately tense up, Dipper’s magic gemstone working away on him again. At that moment, he saw Pacifica pull the little box from her pocket - _Doctor Wandsworth’s Famous ‘Smoke and Mirrors’!_ \- and smash it at her feet. A dense fog billowed from the box, blocking both boys’ sight.

 

Dipper growled, getting to his feet in a flash and spinning around. “Where are you?!” he demanded, feeling out in front of him with broad, sweeping motions. “When I get my hands on you…”

 

From beyond the wall of smoke, Pacifica lunged, grappling at Dipper’s neck. With a screech of victory, she tore away with the brooch clutched firmly in her hands. She slipped away from him just as he grabbed for her and sprinted toward the nearest concrete wall.

 

“My amulet!” Dipper cried, following after her with all haste.

 

The smoke had started to dissipate by now, but had not faded quite so much to let Dipper see Gideon’s outstretched leg before it was too late. He tripped, gracelessly toppling face-first into the hard floor with an even less graceful “oof”. A loud _clang, clang, clang_ came from the wall as Pacifica smashed the amulet repeatedly into the foundation. After one particularly forceful smash, the inlaid stone chipped, and the faint glow about it puttered out.

 

“Run!” Pacifica shouted, already speeding by Gideon with frantic steps.

 

Gideon didn’t need to be told twice. He dashed out of the warehouse hot on Pacifica’s heels. His friend and saviour was squeaking frightfully under her breath as they made their escape. He could just barely make out, through her shrill, rattling voice: “Oh god, oh _god_ , I punched _Dipper Gleeful_ in the _face_!”

 

The two didn’t look behind them, nor did they stop running until they reached town, panting and aching from their sprint.

 

It took a moment for the two to catch their breath, and a moment longer for them to confirm they hadn’t been pursued by a hellbent Gleeful twin.

 

The pair stood silently, shooting each other nervous glances before Gideon finally willed himself to speak up. “Thanks back there, for... well y’know, saving me.”

 

“Hey, uh, no problem.” Pacifica laughed nervously.

 

“What were you doin’ there in the first place?” he asked.

 

Pacifica’s blush was visible even in the dim evening streetlights. “Well. I was… I was just…” she looked to her feet. “I was kinda, a bit, just a little… _jealous_ ,” she whispered the last word, spewing out the rest of her confession before he could respond, “and I thought that maybe I could sneak in and watch you guys do magic tricks and maybe even learn something myself and then I could do neat tricks too and you’d think I was cool.”

 

Gideon stared as Pacifica hung her head. “I think punching Dipper in the face was a lot cooler than any magic trick.”

 

Pacifica’s eyes shot up, wide and disbelieving.

 

“One thing though.” Gideon said playfully. “‘ _Ursa Major Jerkwad_ ’? Really?”

 

Pacifica blushed madly. “I-It was a joke, you know, because Ursa is like, the big and little dipper constellations, and major because I-I was calling him a _huge_ jerk, uh…” she stuttered.

 

Gideon laughed. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks again, Paz.” he said.

 

Pacifica glowed. “We make a pretty good team.”

 

The two said their goodbyes after Pacifica pointed out that it was getting pretty late, and home sounded like a nice, _safe_ place to be for now. After urging him not to get jumped by any more monsters or monstrous twins, Pacifica set off cautiously on her own.

 

Gideon couldn’t help but smile on his way back to the Shack. In spite of the beating he’d taken (his back was aching again, after only just starting to recover from his fall in the mole tunnels), Gideon was feeling pretty good. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had the creeping feeling he was going to break the book’s warning again. If he was going to confide in anyone, it had to be the girl that saved his hide - twice.

 

He supposed it was only natural that he was really starting to trust Pacifica Northwest.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, I fussed and fussed over this chapter. Not my favourite, but I think I'm satisfied with it. At least, I couldn't bring myself to edit any more, haha. Thanks again to everyone who has left kudos/comments! It means a lot to me, I'm glad you enjoy my story!

**Against the Mirror - Chapter 3**

 

Gideon tossed and turned fitfully all night. Every creak in the rafters, every rattling breeze past his window managed to persuade him that Dipper Gleeful had shown up in his room ready to toss him from the roof of the Mystery Shack. Eventually the sun rose and Gideon blinked blearily through tired eyes. He was still in bed, sore but not in pieces. No one had come calling to tear him in two.

 

Groggily deciding that sleep had been a lost cause from the start, he dragged himself from bed and threw himself into one of the kitchen table chairs. Grunkle Stan was already sitting across from him, his nose buried in the newspaper. He looked up when he heard Gideon flop against the table.

 

“Woah. Somebody looks exhausted.” he said with a grin. “Monster under your bed keeping you awake?”

 

Gideon groaned in response.

 

“Ha ha, boy do I know that feeling.” Grunkle Stan said with a chuckle. “Don’t let ‘em get the best of you! Tell that monster to start paying rent - hey, that’s not a bad idea.”

 

Gideon watched bemusedly as Stan’s eyes glazed over in thought. Whether or not his great-uncle was seriously admitting to having a monster living under his bed in his youth, he had no idea. From what he’d learned about the town so far, it wouldn’t be too farfetched.

 

“No monsters under my bed.” Gideon said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. “Just… noises outside getting to my head, I think.” That was pretty close to the truth, omitting only that he’d thought the noises were an angry mob summoned by the eminent Dipper Gleeful.

 

The weather was finally starting to heat up. Gideon wasn’t quite as affected as the rest of the town, being quite accustomed to summers that were blazing enough that pool water was no longer ‘refreshing’, only ‘wet’. It was warming up enough that the elusive Mystery Shack handyman finally showed his face for more than a minute to set up the air conditioning.

 

Maybe he wasn’t so elusive as he was unfriendly - and maybe he wasn’t unfriendly so much as untalkative. What he _was_ , Gideon wasn’t sure. He hadn’t even been in the same room as the guy long enough to think about having a conversation, and the big guy didn’t seem to be in a hurry to strike one up to begin with.

 

The handyman was at one of the windows in the gift shop, carefully setting up an air conditioning unit. Through the shop, a pair of customers milled about. Gideon was perched in what was quickly becoming _his_ seat: behind the cash register next to Robbie. The teen was again thumbing through the same book he’d been reading for the past few days, though he was nearing the end of it by now.

 

Gideon had been out of bed for a couple hours now, but still felt groggy from his sleepless night. He also couldn’t stop yawning.

 

“Late night?” Robbie asked, amusement creeping into his voice.

 

“Couldn’t sleep.” Gideon said vaguely.

 

“Not losing sleep over turning down Mabel Gleeful, I hope.”

 

Gideon smacked his palm against his forehead and leant heavily onto the checkout counter. “ _No_.” he said. What, was he reading his mind?! That wasn’t quite the reason he’d been too shaken up to get any shut-eye, but it wasn’t a far cry from the truth.

 

“Are you sure?” Robbie said, still sounding amused.

 

Gideon sighed. “I’m really not lookin’ for a summer sweetheart.” Especially not Mabel Gleeful - no, that had gone spectacularly badly. “And Mabel’s… not my type.”

 

Robbie shrugged. “Fair enough. I get that.” Gideon looked at him in surprise. He’d expected a more thorough heckling from the teen. “What?” Robbie said, giving the younger boy another amused smile. “I’ve dated people before. I know how it goes when you’re not as compatible as you thought you were.”

 

Gideon was spared thinking of a response as the two customers plunked down their selections onto the counter, greeting Robbie with a cheerful, “hey there”. Robbie shoved his book aside, greeting him in turn and running up his purchases on the till.

 

While Robbie tended to the customers, Gideon shot the book he’d set aside a casual glance. On the spine, it said ‘ _One Hundred Hauntings: A Ghost Story Anthology_ ’. He stared, his curiosity piqued. Once the customers were disappearing out the door, he gestured to the book, only too happy to have a subject to take the focus off his love life.

 

“You like ghost stories?” Gideon asked.

 

Robbie picked up the book. “Yeah, I think they’re interesting.” he said with a small smile. “Plus, I guess if my friends are dragging me out to this haunted convenience store I should be doing all the research I can. Well, _if_ they ever decide they’re brave enough to go on a ghost hunt.”

 

“Reading ghost stories counts as research?” Gideon quirked an eyebrow.

 

“No, no,” Robbie said with a light laugh. “I was just kidding. Ghosts aren’t actually real, Gideon.”

 

From across the gift shop, the handyman loudly cleared his throat. Gideon and Robbie both looked up.

 

“You ever seen a ghost, Soos?” Robbie asked, calling quietly to the handyman.

 

_Soos_ , that was his name - or nickname, maybe? Gideon repeated it in his head a few times. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. Grunkle Stan had told Gideon about the Shack’s handyman, but since he’d never actually talked to the guy himself, the name didn’t seem to stick in his head.

 

Soos gave the installed air conditioner a final pat before turning around and walking toward the checkout counter. He took his time, wiping his hands thoroughly on a handkerchief as he approached the boys. “Not personally. Heard some stuff from folks that have, though. They’re real, alright.”

 

Gideon and Robbie exchanged a glance. “Don’t you think it’s all just a bunch of superstition?” Robbie asked.

 

“Superstitions gotta come from somewhere.” Soos said, tucking away the handkerchief and brandishing a screwdriver loosely. “Plus, I’ve seen enough _other stuff_ that it doesn’t take too much convincing for me to believe in ghosts too.”

 

“Other stuff?” Gideon asked, leaning forward in interest.

 

“Yeah.” Soos said, nodding. He looked entirely serious as he turned his narrow gaze onto Gideon. “Saw a werewolf out by the woods once, howling at the moon. Managed to sneak off before he saw me too. Another time I had a run-in with some gnomes in the garden. Heck, I’m pretty sure I once saw a UFO flying over the town, and the next day, there were crop circles in the fields the next town over.” He paused to scratch his chin with the end of the screwdriver. “Actually, they weren’t really circles, it was just a giant message that said ‘Farmer Haley is a giant dingus’.”

 

Robbie was looking at him skeptically now. Soos returned a questioning look of his own. “What, don’t believe me? You’ve lived here long enough - you’re sure you’ve never noticed anything weird around town before?”

 

Robbie looked uncomfortable, averting his eyes and giving a light shrug. “I dunno. The whole town is really into the paranormal shtick - I think most stuff is just designed to attract tourists, you know?”

 

Soos gave him a long look. Robbie pressed on. “I mean, you know how it is. Growing up here you either get sick of all the monster hype or you end up loving it. I still think it’s all interesting and, I guess it would be _really_ interesting if some of the folklore were true, but,” he said, pausing to drum his fingers on the counter, “I just don’t really believe in it.”

 

Soos wagged his screwdriver at him. “Don’t forget - legends are based in fact. Don’t go messing around with stuff just because you think it’s all fake and cheesy. You’ll probably get yourself hurt.”

 

Robbie gave him a nervous smile as he turned toward the exit. “Speaking of people getting hurt,” Soos said, “I’m gonna try and fix up these stairs a bit before we end up with a lawsuit.”

 

Once Soos was out of sight, Robbie returned to his book. Gideon thought he showed a bit less fervor for the subject than he had before. Gideon, however, looked more interested and felt more alert than he had all morning. How did half the locals not believe in the folklore they sold to tourists while it was all going on right under their noses? How many people in this town actually knew the mysteries of Gravity Falls? What was with all the secrets?

 

“I’m gonna head out.” Gideon announced, hopping to his feet and trying not to hurry too quickly along after Soos.

 

“Alright, have fun.” said Robbie.

 

Soos was kneeling by the stairs, assessing the state of the boards that made up the rickety entrance to the gift shop. Gideon marched over to him, suddenly unsure of just what he wanted to ask the handyman.

 

“‘Sup, mini Pines?” Soos asked, fussing over the handrails now. He hadn’t looked up from his task.

 

Gideon bit his lip. “Do you really believe in ghosts and monsters and werewolves and stuff like that?”

 

“‘Course I do, little man.” Soos said, straightening up to pay attention to Gideon now. “This town is pretty weird, y’know? All kinds of crazy stuff happens - it’s hard to tell how much of it is for the sake of tourism sometimes.”

 

Gideon let out a long breath, looking thoughtful. Soos caught this look and shook his head, shaking the screwdriver in his hand at Gideon now. “Don’t _you_ go running off looking for trouble either, mini Pines. Don’t mess around with any of this freaky monster business.”

 

“I’m not gonna.” Gideon said, thinking that was exactly what he’d been planning on doing. “I was just wonderin’ about this stuff.”

 

Soos knelt down next to the stairs again, starting his repair work. “All this spooky creature stuff is dangerous, okay? The cute tourist stuff is fun and everything, but if you end up crossing paths with a vampire in the middle of the night, you’ll be having a lot less fun than you planned on.”

 

“Yeah, I got it.” Gideon said. He _knew_ how dangerous all this ‘spooky creature stuff’ was firsthand. He needed to know more if he wanted to stand any chance surviving the summer in Gravity Falls.

 

“Good.” Soos said. “Now, if you’re taking the stairs, you better do it now before I take them apart.”

 

Gideon did, and set off into town. He needed to find the one person he’d decided to confide in. He was taking a gamble, going against the warning in the journal, but it was a necessary risk. He didn’t think he’d last another week if he had to go it on his own.

 

\---

 

It occurred to Gideon, once he crossed into town, that he didn’t actually know where Pacifica lived. He was easy enough to find - the Mystery Shack was something of a landmark - but she hadn’t ever mentioned her own address. Gideon wandered through town, approaching the residential area a little hesitantly. The stores and attractions faded into apartments and townhouses as he went. He knew he wouldn’t be able to divine which house was Pacifica’s by looking around and _hoping_ strongly enough, but he wasn’t sure how else to find her. He made it to the end of Candlewood Street and turned around with a huff, deciding that he wasn’t about to spend his day walking up and down streets in a fruitless search after all.

 

He spent a few minutes wandering aimlessly around town, thinking that perhaps his chances of finding Pacifica might be improved if he went back to the Shack and waited for her to show up. She _had_ been frequenting the place since the incident with the moles, and after last night’s debacle, he saw no reason why she wouldn’t come check in with him again today. Still, the idea of sitting around _waiting_ when he had reeling plans in his head made him antsy.

 

The thought that she might be in trouble - that maybe Dipper had come calling on _her_ instead entered his mind, but was quickly squashed when he heard a familiar voice shouting his name.

 

“Gideon, Gideon! Hey!” Pacifica called. Gideon turned around to see the blonde jogging up behind him. She’d forgone her usual frilly scrunchie for a bandana today, but her colourful jacket was as gaudy as ever. Pacifica slowed to a stop, grinning.

 

“Hey, I was just lookin’ for you.” Gideon said, returning her smile.

 

“Oh yeah?” Pacifica said. “Guess I’m gonna have to tell you where you can find me, then. What were you planning to do, scour the town?”

 

Her tone was teasing and her smile good natured. Gideon tutted. “Nah, thought maybe one of the shops in town might have something like a dowsing rod I could pick up, but for people instead of water.”

 

Pacifica laughed, but looked a bit more nervous now. “Are you okay after last night?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Gideon said. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some… stuff. You’re not doin’ anything right now, are you?”

 

Pacifica shook her head. “Nope, nothing. I was just taking a walk and I saw you. I’m free to talk about… stuff.”

 

Gideon looked around tensely. The streets of the little town were pretty full. A lot of the people he was beginning to recognize as townsfolk, but there were still plenty of tourists checking out the locale. It was a busy place, for such a small town in the woods. He gave Pacifica a cautious look. “Do you know anywhere that’s kinda… private we can talk?”

 

“Um, well… I guess.” Pacifica said, glancing around much like he had. “Just to clarify, the… stuff we’re talking about is uh,” Pacifica brought her hands up and wiggled her fingers, “ _spooky_ stuff, right?”

 

Gideon couldn’t suppress the snerk of laughter that escaped his throat. “Yeah. That stuff.” he said.

 

Pacifica tapped her chin. “Ok… I think if we just head far enough out of town… that’ll be pretty private.”

 

Gideon was dogging Pacifica’s steps as she led him away from the activity in town. They skirted the woods cautiously, neither of them eager to test the trails in the woods just yet. Gideon had one hand held firmly against a very rectangular bulge in his vest. He’d stowed the journal there in the morning when he’d committed himself to putting his trust in Pacifica. He had been nervous about taking it from where it was safe in his room, but keeping it pressed snugly against his side was some comfort.

 

Soon enough, the buildings disappeared and the trees around them thickened. They were still outside the woods, in a meadow-like area flanked by conifers on either side. Pacifica headed straight to a fallen log that had a few large fungi sprouting from it and plopped down comfortably.

 

“You been here before?” Gideon asked, commenting on the very direct path she’d taken.

 

Pacifica nodded slightly. “Yeah. It’s nice and peaceful here - sometimes you’ll get tourists, though, trying to find more ‘interesting’ routes through the woods.”

 

Gideon sat down beside her quietly, gathering his thoughts. Pacifica was silent as she waited for him to begin. After a deep breath, he ploughed ahead.

 

“I think we’re both in trouble after that stint last night. Obviously there’s a lot of freaky stuff going on in this town - and I don’t know next to nothin’ about any paranormal magic stuff.” he said.

 

Pacifica met his eyes nervously, nodding her agreement. “We wrecked Dipper’s weird amulet thing, though. Wasn’t that what was giving him his powers?”

 

Gideon gave her a long, uncertain shrug. “I think so - that’s how it looked. Well, that’s how it felt, too. When you stole it from him, I could move again.” he said. “I still think he’s dangerous, though. And, if he had a thing like that, I betcha he knows a lot more about all this ‘ _spooky’_ stuff than we do.”

 

Pacifica looked worried now. “Oh. Right. I swear, Gideon, I’ve lived here my whole life and I never thought any of this folklore stuff was real.”

 

“I believe you.” he said, closing his eyes and running his convictions through his head. He trusted Pacifica. He thought it over and over as he reached into his vest and withdrew the third journal. “Which is why I wanna show you what I found in the woods, the day I showed up in town.”

 

 

Pacifica looked curiously at the old tome in his hands. “You mean… the day we fell into those mole tunnels?”

 

“The day I first met you, yeah.” he said. “I had to go back for it at night - I didn’t even know it was there when we, uh, had our little run-in.”

 

“You went _back_? The same day?” Pacifica asked, her eyes wide.

 

“Yeah.” Gideon said, still not quite believing what he’d done himself. “There was a metal tree I found in the woods there. I didn’t get to check it out before you… showed up.” Pacifica looked slightly chagrined when he paused. “I don’t know what made me go back. It was probably stupid, to go lookin’ for more trouble after I’d just escaped a bunch of crazy giant moles. But it’s a good thing I did.”

 

Gideon flipped the journal open to the page he’d bookmarked with the mole men. Pacifica gasped. “Somebody wrote a whole bunch on all the weird stuff they found in Gravity Falls. And they must have found a bunch of other stuff too, because this journal is number three. If both of them journals are about the same length… then there’s a lot more goin’ on in the town than either of us thought to begin with.”

 

Pacifica reached out with careful hands. “Can I?” she asked quietly. Gideon handed her the journal with some reluctance and she laid it onto her lap, staring with wide eyes. She ran her fingers along the old, yellowed pages, tracing the details in the moles’ fur, the sharpness of the drawn crystals, the spiraling, often cryptic text.

 

“I can’t believe it.” she whispered, flipping through the pages as Gideon watched. “All of this is here, in Gravity Falls?” Pacifica skimmed the book quickly, stopping only on the spread with the author’s ominous final warning.

 

“Trust no one.” Pacifica read out loud. She turned to Gideon, her eyes still stretched wide. “But you trust me? You just met me four days ago.”

 

“It’s been an eventful few days.” said Gideon. “I think after helpin’ me out of _two_ big messes, I can trust you.”

 

Pacifica looked overwhelmed. “Wow. Uh, well, I guess that’s true though. I just… wow, I didn’t really expect that.” she said, looking away bashfully now.

 

Gideon pried the book from her hands, flipping through it with a bit more scrutiny than she had. “The journal’s full of information, I dunno how much of it is useful for us, though. We need to know more. I don’t wanna run into any more traps - and I don’t wanna be a prop in any of the Gleefuls’ stage shows, either.” Gideon said, suppressing a small shudder. There were enough sinister magic tricks out there and he knew he didn’t want within ten feet of any of them.

 

“Yeah, they’d probably forego the magic box for us the next time they’re looking for volunteers to saw in half.” Pacifica said jokingly. Gideon cringed.

 

“I’m serious - I’ve been looking through this book a bit. There’s a lot to it. I’ve barely made a dent in what it’s got to tell me - plus, look at all the secret coded messages! This is gonna take a lot of time to look through. And not everything in here is helpful, y’know. Like, how am I supposed to fight back with,” Gideon began, thumbing quickly through the pages and stopping on a detailed drawing of a garden gnome. “What is this… gnomes? Yeah, these guys look real threatenin’. I guess I could have ‘em gnaw at the Gleefuls’ ankles if they try anything.”

 

“Hey, their weakness is unknown.” Pacifica pointed out, jabbing the page with her index finger. “Maybe they _are_ dangerous. Looks can be deceiving, right?”

 

Gideon sighed. “I’d rather have a fancy amulet like Dipper’s. Maybe like an invisibility charm so I could disappear when they were around. Or spy on them to figure out what other secrets they’re hiding.” he said, shaking a fist.

 

“Uh, I think I’d sooner just avoid them altogether.” Pacifica said nervously. “Seems less dangerous.”

 

“You gotta know your enemy!” Gideon said, a look of conviction crossing his face. “That way, if they try to strike you, you already know what they’ve got in store.”

 

“Maybe not being enemies in the first place is a better plan.” Pacifica said, drawing her legs up and hugging them.

 

“You punched Dipper Gleeful in the face.” he said plainly. “And then you broke his magic amulet. I think you’re enemies.”

 

A long whimper wavered in Pacifica’s throat. “How did all this happen so fast? You’re like, a magnet for trouble or something. I used to be practically invisible myself you know, even without any fancy charm or amulet.”

 

“If I find one, I’ll give it to you. How’s that?” Gideon said, snapping the journal shut and secreting it away into his vest once again. “I think we better start educatin’ ourselves on this town a bit better. That way we’ll be prepared for any future incidents.” He gave Pacifica an uncertain look. “You’ll join me, right?”

 

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Pacifica said, smiling. “I’m already invested. Of course I’ll help you.”

 

Gideon let out a breath and grinned. “Alright! How about we… just kind of take today off and start full force tomorrow. I’ll investigate around town.”

 

“Sounds good to me. I’ll do some searching tomorrow too.” Pacifica said, getting to her feet and stretching.

 

The two set off back toward town, walking casually and chatting idly. Gideon felt more relaxed than he had been since he was first shipped off to Oregon. It was a good feeling, knowing someone had his back.

 

The town was just as busy as when they’d first set out. People were still passing idly by in the streets while other tourists buried their faces in pamphlets and eagerly pointed out new places to explore. Amid the crowd, townsfolk went about their day cheerily, greeting neighbours.

 

“Oh no.” Pacifica said, her voice catching. “Don’t look now, but the Gleefuls are over by Greasy’s Diner - I said don’t look!”

 

Gideon spun around in time to see two sets of glaring eyes (though one of the eyes was admittedly looking quite swollen and a bit purple). He flinched and quickly averted his gaze. The Gleeful twins were standing casually outside the diner, apparently having just finished lunch. Mabel had a soft drink in her hands, while Dipper’s were fisted in tightly contained anger. Gideon felt nervous just looking at them. He glared at the ground.

 

“I told you not to look.” Pacifica said, whispering even though the twins were far from being within earshot. She had turned so her back was to the Gleefuls’ baleful gazes, though Gideon thought she looked quite nervous too.

 

“What’re they doing here?” Gideon mumbled, turning away with Pacifica.

 

“They _do_ live here. I’ve seen them around town before. They get tourists asking them for autographs, but they don’t seem to mind the attention.” Pacifica said.

 

Gideon cast a quick glance over shoulder. The Gleefuls were still standing on the front porch of Greasy’s Diner, though only Dipper was glaring at them now. Mabel looked distracted, even bored, fiddling with the straw in her drink and staring into the sky with a dull expression.

 

Gideon returned his own bold glare this time before hurrying away with Pacifica. “If that magician brat attacks me again, I’m gonna be ready for him.”

 

“Unless he attacks us right now.” Pacifica mumbled, worrying at the sleeve of her jacket. “We don’t know any more than we did yesterday.”

 

“We know he doesn’t have his amulet now.” Gideon said.

 

Pacifica made a quiet, skeptical noise.

 

“I don’t think he’d attack us in the middle of town, anyhow.” said Gideon, resisting the urge to check over his shoulder again. “It’d disrupt his ‘ _reputation_ ’. He can’t have that kind of gossip goin’ ‘round.”

 

Pacifica nodded. Her footsteps faltered, quieting on the pavement until she suddenly stopped. “Hey, uh, I think I’m going to head home for now, actually.” she said. Gideon turned to see her giving him a small smile. She took a couple steps away. “Stay safe, ok, Gideon?” In a flash, she had taken off and was disappearing into the busy street.

 

Gideon stood there for a moment. Pacifica seemed to be more worried than he felt - though perhaps, he thought, she was thinking more logically than he was at the moment. The only thing on his mind right now was learning how to defend himself (and by extension, how to defend Pacifica too).

 

He clenched his hands determinedly and strode off toward the Mystery Shack. He needed to know more about the mysteries of the town. That meant doing more than skimming the journal for help. He had to go out and find things for himself, too.

 

\---

 

“There they go, Mabel.” Dipper Gleeful grated quietly, leaning irritably against the outside wall of Greasy’s Diner - a local restaurant the twins only visited if one or both was feeling particularly agitated and in need of terribly greasy comfort food. Today both of them fit the bill, one more than the other.

 

“You should chase after them, screaming and shaking your fists. I’m sure that would paint an interesting picture for the townspeople.” Mabel said with a wry smile.

 

Dipper only huffed, fisting his hands more fiercely and shoving them behind him. His agitation was at an all-time high.

 

“If you wanted to get back at them, you could… levitate them up to the top of the water tower and break the ladder. Oh, wait.” Mabel’s face looked bored, though her tone was accusatory. “No, you can’t.”

 

“I could if you let me borrow _your_ amulet.” Dipper said.

 

Mabel gave her brother a long, severe look. “ _My_ amulet lost half its power when its _twin_ was destroyed.”

 

“Still more than enough power to take care of those idiots.” Dipper mumbled unhappily.

 

Mabel took a long sip of her drink. “Those two _idiots_ wiped the floor with you.”

 

“They didn’t _wipe the floor_ —” Dipper trailed off with a loud growl, glaring at his sister now.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one that went and got my amulet - and my _face_ \- busted by those two stupid kids.”

 

“I was _trying_ to get revenge for you.” Dipper said.

 

Mabel narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t ask you to take revenge for me,” she said calmly, swirling the last of her drink and listening to the ice clink quietly. “I was planning it myself. You didn’t think I’d let that Pines kid get away with embarrassing me, did you? You’re too impatient.”

 

Dipper looked away from his sister, not looking terribly abashed over his sister’s accusation.

 

“That is _quite_ a story, though. How did the village idiot manage to sneak up on the great magician Dipper Gleeful in the first place, huh?” Mabel said, her tone mocking. “And she landed quite a hit on you, too. We’re going to need a lot of stage makeup to cover that shiner she gave you.”

 

“She came at me like a - a _barbarian_!” Dipper said, indignant. “I want in on whatever revenge you’re planning. I deserve to be included.”

 

“Calm down.” Mabel said, her voice suddenly placating. “Of course I’m including you. They won’t get away with messing with us. But we have to be subtle. I still want into that Mystery Shack.”

 

“Good luck with that.” Dipper scoffed.

 

Mabel cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t underestimate me. I can turn this whole thing around if I’m careful enough. Just watch me.”

 

\---

 

The short path that ran between the Mystery Shack and Gravity Falls proper was just broad enough for two-way traffic to squeeze through. On either side there was a generous stretch of open grass, followed quickly by thick redwood and cedar trees. The Shack was a bit secluded, but not exactly hidden.

 

There weren’t frequent pedestrians to and from the Shack along the path. Tourists usually drove up, he knew Robbie biked or walked, and occasionally when Grunkle Stan went into town, he took his car too.

 

As far as he knew, there were even fewer people who rode horseback to and from the Shack than those who walked. In fact, he was sure no one would ride a horse between there and the town. So it struck Gideon as a bit odd when he saw a girl nervously riding along the edge of the forest on an equally cautious pony.

 

Something about her looked a bit _off_ , too. Not only was she heading into town looking like she was on some kind of covert mission, but she was riding practically on the shoulders of her horse (whose head was hanging kind of drowsily in front of her, swaying as it trotted along). She didn’t look much older than him, and she was alone. It was possible she got lost on some kind of tour. Were there horseback tours through the forest in Gravity Falls? He wasn’t sure.

 

Cautiously, he approached the nervous looking girl. “Hey! Are you lost or somethin’? Do you need any help?”

 

The girl started, and so did her horse, surprisingly in tune with her. “Gah! Oh! Ah ha ha ha! I didn’t see you there, uh, fellow… townsperson.” she stammered, looking quite like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.

 

Gideon gave her a baffled look. “Uh, are you okay?” he asked.

 

“Ha, ha ha, yes, of course I am!” she said, waving him off. “Just taking my horse for a casual stroll through town, yessiree.”

 

If this girl was anything, it definitely wasn’t casual. “You’re sittin’ on your horse wrong - how are you even doing that in the first place? Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

 

She seemed to have a long, flowing skirt on that obscured her legs - though Gideon could see two dangling shoes sticking out the bottom of the fabric. She laughed again - just as awkwardly as she had before. “No, no, I’m not sitting on my horse wrong, I’m, uh, I’m just more comfortable… right up by my horse’s neck.” Her eyes were moving shiftily between him, the town, and warily to the forest behind her.

 

Gideon, however, wasn’t focused on what she was saying at that moment. His attention had now fallen to her horse’s head. “Do you have a _potato sack_ over its head?”

 

“No, d-don’t be stupid!” she said, looking defensive.

 

“That’s a potato sack.” he said, giving her a plain ‘ _do you think I’m that stupid_ ’ look. Now that he was giving it a good look, it was easy to see the horse’s head was covered in burlap. It had gleaming black stones where the eyes would have been, and its mane seemed very unkempt and short, and seemed to be sewn to the sack. The whole thing looked rather misshapen, and hung a little too limply. He also noticed that the girl’s tight hold on the reigns seemed to be what was keeping the burlap head upright. “Are you hidin’ his head because he’s _ugly_ or something?”

 

The girl gasped out loud. “My horse is _beautiful_! How dare you!”

 

Gideon gave her an exasperated look. Something definitely wasn’t right here. Given his recent experiences, he was willing to bet it was something _unnatural_. “Is there something wrong with his head?”

 

The girl was getting increasingly fidgety. “No, nothing’s wrong with my horse - I just want to get into town…”

 

“Don’t you think it’s kinda mean to hide his face like that?” Gideon asked, edging cautiously closer to the girl and her possibly-monstrous mount. He wasn’t sure he _wanted_ to know what kind of beastie she had hidden under the burlap.

 

“It’s not mean! I - I mean, I’m _just_ \- oh, no, please don’t touch - oh _forget it_!” the girl cried. Instantly, her horse had swung around and she fled into the thick of the woods at top speed.

 

Gideon stared after her, confused but intrigued. He almost followed her, worried that she might get lost in the forest - he stopped himself, on the grounds that that was a ridiculous idea, because he wouldn’t be any less lost than she. Still, there was something incredibly suspicious about her. He was sure she wasn’t riding into town on any plain old horse - what was her deal?

 

_Trust no one_ , Gideon thought, turning back onto the road and finishing the jaunt to the Mystery Shack. He was learning fast and hard that things in Gravity Falls weren’t always what they seemed. The way she had been loitering near the Shack made him suspicious too. She had been up to something.

 

\---

 

Gideon let himself sleep in Thursday morning. The extra sleep was a blessing after a full night of tossing and turning. The Shack was going to be a bit more quiet today; Grunkle Stan wasn’t running any tours. Robbie even had the day off, so he had no one to visit in the gift shop (other than his great-uncle, who had it open and was manning the cash register himself in case any tourists came for the merchandise alone).

 

He wasn’t sure how to feel about the sudden drop in activity. Without the accustomed thrum of tourists, it seemed proper and polite to spend the day with Grunkle Stan. Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn’t actually spent too much time with his great-uncle since he’d arrived. Not that it was his fault, of course. He’d been quickly catapulted into a series of strange (and dangerous) adventures. Between the actual adventures, panicking in the aftermath of said adventures, and fretting over unwanted adventures to come, he was left with little time to socialize with the person he’d come here to visit.

 

And so, Gideon found himself seated next to his uncle in the gift shop. Yesterday had been entirely uneventful - ruling out the weird girl he’d seen on his way home. His brain was grappling with his drive to go out and learn about the mysteries in town, and with paying some needed attention to his great-uncle. His parents wouldn’t be impressed with him ignoring his host, he thought guiltily.

 

“So, uh, Grunkle Stan?” he began. Stan didn’t have his nose attentively stuck in a book like Robbie did. He wasn’t even _generally_ attentive. Instead he was reclining in his seat, looking like he was taking a nap.

 

Gideon was surprised to see he was actually quite alert. “Yeah?” Stan answered, lifting his visor away from his eyes and glancing at his great-nephew.

 

“Did you have anything planned for us to do over the summer? I know me comin’ here was kinda sudden and all…” Gideon said.

 

“Planned?” Grunkle Stan looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, not really planned… what did you want to do?”

 

Gideon shrugged.

 

“Hmm. I guess I could take you out to the lake, if you’re interested in some fishing. Do your parents ever take you fishing?”

 

“Sometimes.” Gideon said.

 

“I’ll have to find a day where we’ve got some free time - we’re getting into the weekend now so we’ll be busy in here again.” he said, surveying the empty gift shop. “Hey, you wanna head out today - right now? The Shack’s not going to be busy at all today. I can just close up and we can be off.”

 

“Ah, no, that’s okay.” Gideon said quickly, thinking about his and Pacifica’s plans to investigate. “I’m kinda doin’ some stuff today.”

 

“With that Northwest girl?” Stan asked, giving Gideon a sly smile. “Hey, that’s fine with me. I’m just glad you let loose the Gleeful twin.”

 

Gideon frowned. “We’re not like that! We’re just friends.”

 

“I’m just kiddin’ with you, kid.” Stan said, giving Gideon a pat on the shoulder. “Go on and have fun around town. I’ll stay here and come up with some stuff for us to do.”

 

Feeling a bit reassured that he wasn’t being a rude guest, Gideon disappeared upstairs to retrieve the journal from his room. Once it was safely secured inside his vest, he left the Shack to begin his first day of paranormal research.

 

He wasn’t sure what Pacifica was going to be doing. Neither one had said anything about meeting at the Shack. He’d only mentioned that he planned to do some searching around the town - perhaps Pacifica had the same idea.

 

Before he reached town, however, Gideon paused. He was close to where he’d seen the strange girl on horseback yesterday. After he’d confronted her, she’d disappeared into the woods, right through the nearby trees. Slowly, Gideon stepped off the road, creeping closer to the forest.

 

There was no path here, only a wall of trees and forest foliage. With the events of his last encounter off the beaten path, it was with hesitance that Gideon breached the edge of the woods. He paused after a few careful strides, looking around with cautious eyes.

 

No upturned soil. No loose ground. No scrambling moles breaking out through the ground. Satisfied that he wasn’t in imminent danger, Gideon tramped on through the trees, pushing through low-growing shrubbery as he went.

 

After a quick, covert glance around to assure that he was truly alone, Gideon pulled out the third journal. Just ahead of him was a fallen tree. The area around him seemed perfectly secluded. With all the rustling grass and undergrowth growing on the forest floor, Gideon felt assured that he would be able to hear anyone trying to sneak up on him. He settled down onto the fallen log, giving the area another cautious sweep with his eyes before turning his attention to the book.

 

He passed the time quietly - except for bird calls and rustling leaves that turned out to be squirrels, and once, a rabbit - thumbing through the journal. All he wanted was some sort of creature that seemed amiable enough to approach, but dangerous enough to seek their protection from future attacks by the Gleeful twins. It was quickly apparent this was a difficult line to toe. Either the creatures seemed impossible to find (like the hide-behind), far too dangerous to approach (the gremloblin looked terrible), or strange, but powerless (like the creepy floating eyes). Still, he’d barely made a dent in the journal. He wasn’t deterred.

 

Another rustle came from the far-off bushes. Gideon glanced up idly, expecting another pair of familiar squirrels to be playing and rolling through the leafy bushes. What he wasn’t expecting at all was to see the same strange girl from yesterday milling through the undergrowth in the woods, just barely out of sight.

 

“Hey!” he shouted suddenly, snapping the journal shut and pocketing it in quick succession.

 

The girl froze, staring at Gideon like a deer caught in the headlights. A quiet, strangled sound came from her throat as her eyes shifted around, looking for an escape.

 

“Hold on, I just wanna talk to you.” Gideon said, leaping away from the fallen log and trekking towards the shifty girl. “You’re that girl I saw yesterday lookin’ like you were sneakin’ into town.”

 

“What? No, you don’t want to talk to me - I’m uh, I’m really boring - uh, and no, I don’t remember… yesterday. I haven’t been anywhere. I-I’m not even anywhere right now! You can’t see me!” she squawked, looking more panicked as Gideon quickly closed the distance between them.

 

“Wait, wait, I just wanna talk - really!” Gideon said, stopping some feet from where she stood with his hands up in a submissive gesture. There was only a dense, low bush standing between the two now. Now that he was close to the girl, he noticed that she was quite a bit taller than him - at least a full head. He swallowed.

 

“Uh, I really shouldn’t be here, though, I, uh…” The girl stammered, brushing her short hair down over her ears - which Gideon just noticed, looked strangely pointed - with frantic fingers.

 

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be out in the woods alone either, so?” Gideon said, edging his way around the bush toward the girl.

 

She squealed. “Ah, no, no, don’t come any closer - please!”

 

Gideon discovered the reason she’d wanted him to stay away a moment too late. His surprised eyes dropped to her legs the moment he’d skirted the bush - all four of them. “Your bottom half is a horse.” he stated, his eyes wide.

 

“Oh, my dad is going to _kill_ me!” the girl cried, clutching her hair tightly and bowing her head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Oh_! You!” she shouted, shaking her finger at Gideon. “You - you’re bad at listening!”

 

Gideon was still gaping at her hooves. “You’re a _centaur_.” he said.

 

 

“I think we’ve covered that already!” the girl whined, starting to pace back and forth. “Oh no, oh no, I should have just listened and stayed at home, oh this is _terrible_ …”

 

Gideon shook his head, snapping out of his reverie. “Oh come on, I’m not gonna _tell_ anyone I found a centaur in the woods.” _Except Pacifica_ , he thought.

 

“Yeah, and I’m sure I can trust a _human_!” she said, still pacing and kicking nervously at the ground. “You’re not just gonna - gonna - put me on a spit and roast me alive and turn my coat into leather and - and—”

 

“Woah, woah, hold up, why would I wanna do any of that?!” Gideon asked, looking at the centaur girl in bewilderment.

 

“Because - because you’re a human!” she squeaked, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

 

She was going to need some convincing. With a long, uncertain sigh, Gideon pulled the journal out again and quickly flipped through the pages. Sure enough, about midway through the book, there was an entry about the centaurs of the forest.

 

The girl glanced over, still looking shaken and uncertain. “What is that?” she asked cautiously.

 

“It’s an old journal I found that talks about the different creatures, monsters, and magic doodads found around Gravity Falls.” Gideon said, holding the book open for her to see, but not closely enough that she could reach it. “It warned me not to trust anyone in town, but I’m gettin’ kinda desperate. I’ve had two run-ins already, and I just got here Saturday.” he said, closing the book and tucking it under his arm. He watched the girl’s eyes follow it.

 

“Oh.” the girl said, still looking like she wanted to flee. However, Gideon noticed she kept glancing back at the journal with something akin to interest.

 

“So, I’m kind of in a tough spot. I’m out here looking for stuff that’ll help me… well, get a little less beat up over the summer.” Gideon said. “I came out here to find someone or something magic that can help me. And, well, here y’are.”

 

The girl made a face. “Dad says if a human ever saw what I was, they’d put me in a circus and make me jump through flaming hoops.”

 

Gideon bit his lip. “Well… I’m not gonna do that. And I’ll make sure nobody that will finds you.”

 

“You just said you needed help protecting _yourself_.” the girl said, crossing her arms and regarding him distrustfully.

 

“Okay, okay, none of this protection stuff, you don’t have to help me out against nobody.” Gideon said, waving his hands. “But, would you at least teach me a few things about the paranormal stuff ‘round these parts? We don’t even have to leave the forest or nothin’, I’ll come out here and meet you.”

 

The girl stared, her eyes narrow and calculating. Gideon saw her look again to the journal just before she reached out a cautious hand. “Alright. But I want something in return.”

 

Gideon smiled hopefully. “Okay, that’s fair. What d’ya want?”

 

“I want you to help me get something that’ll let me sneak into town.” the girl said, still holding her hand out.

 

Gideon looked a little less hopeful now. “What kinda thing?”

 

“I’ve heard of a magical talisman that’ll make me look human when I’m wearing it. I want you to help me get it.” the girl said. Gideon looked even less sure than before. “Oh, please - I know exactly where it is, so I just need you to help me get it!”

 

Gideon paused, weighing his options in his head before reaching out and shaking the girl’s hand. “You’ve got a deal, uh… ?”

 

“Melinda. Or just Mindy’s fine.” the centaur said, giving Gideon’s hand a firm shake.

 

“That’s a very _human_ name for a centaur.” Gideon remarked.

 

Mindy frowned. “Sorry, I guess you were expecting ‘Hoofette’? Maybe ‘Ponyanna’? What’s your name anyway?”

 

“Gideon Pines.” he answered. “So, when did you wanna do this thing?”

 

“As soon as possible.” Mindy said with a smile. Gideon thought she still looked rather nervous.

 

“Okay.” he said. “Like, how soon?”

 

“Well, are you doing anything right now?”

 

Gideon looked away, picturing Pacifica wandering through town in search of hints without him all day. _She’ll be fine_ , he thought. After all, he’d stumbled across the biggest hint they’d probably find for days, and she was standing expectantly right in front of him. “No, I’m free right now. Where’s this talisman?”

 

“The king of the forest fairies has it.” Mindy said, crossing her arms and giving the journal a long, hard look. “Is there anything in that book of yours about forest fairies?”

 

“Another king?” Gideon groaned, thinking his last encounter with a creature king had gone extremely horribly. He flipped the book open, skimming the pages with darting eyes.

 

“Are these them?” Gideon asked, finally landing on a page that was titled with the creature she’d mentioned - Forest Fairies - and subtitled with ‘ _part of the forest fair folk_ ’. There was a drawing of an elegant girl dressed in leaves, and another in flower petals. They had insect-like antennae and elaborate butterfly wings. Their eyes, too, seemed rather insect-like. Apart from their strange faces, they looked like palm-sized humans.

 

“Yes!” Mindy said, shuffling close and staring down over Gideon’s shoulder.

 

Gideon’s eyes passed over the pages, taking in whatever information he could from the journal. There wasn’t a terrible amount of information to be gleaned from the entry. The author had made a remark in the corner of the page that forest fairies were elusive, but quite powerful when it came to manipulating nature. There didn’t seem to be mention of a fairy king, though there was a bold note in the center of the page - _MONARCHY???_ \- as though the author hadn’t quite elucidated how their culture was set up.

 

Mindy tapped the book with a careful finger. “They live in a glen out there somewhere in the forest - look, it says you can find it by following the paths where these toadstools grow.”

 

“It says ‘might’ be able to find them.” Gideon said, emphasizing the author’s uncertainty.

 

“I’ve stumbled into their glen once before - these toadstools are everywhere there. I think that’s gotta be right.” Mindy said.

 

“Well, it’s a good place to start as any, I guess.” Gideon said, making to close the journal.

 

“Ah, wait a second.” said Mindy, reaching a hand out over the book. “Is there an article in there about that talisman I mentioned, maybe?”

 

Gideon flipped through the book once more, on the look out for any entries that stood out. “I dunno, I’m not seein’ anything. I mean, I could’ve missed it - there’s a lot in this book. And,” he said, closing the book firmly and motioning to the cover, “this is the third journal in some kinda set. So even if it’s not in this one, it could be in one of the first two.”

 

Mindy looked a little disheartened, but shrugged anyway. “Alright. I already know where it is, we just have to go get it.”

 

“How come you need my help to get this thing anyway?” Gideon asked, tucking away the journal for good this time.

 

Mindy made a drawn out, uncertain noise. “The fairy king doesn’t like me - or girls, I think - maybe he’ll talk to you, though.”

 

Gideon raised an eyebrow. Mindy laughed nervously. “If you say so. Let’s get movin, then.”

 

Mindy looked more cheerful once she and Gideon were making headway through the forest. Gideon noticed she still was rather skittish around him, like she expected him to lash out or turn on her at any moment. He doubted he’d even be able to lay a hand on her if he wanted to - she’d trample him in an instant.

 

They had been walking for at least twenty minutes before they finally stumbled on their first toadstool. “There, look, I see one!” Mindy called, trotting over to the small, umbrella shaped fungi. It looked identical to the one in the book, with colours matching the journal’s labels - a luminescent reddish-purple with pale yellow spots.

 

“Looks like one to me, too.” Gideon said, kneeling next to the toadstool. “How do we know which way to go from here, though? Is there another one nearby?”

 

Mindy hmmed and cantered a circle around the fungus. “There’s got to be another one close.”

 

Gideon glanced around carefully. The fungi weren’t exactly giant landmarks - especially not in a forest. He walked ahead a bit, keeping his eyes low to the ground in search of more.

 

“Aha!” Mindy said from some distance behind him. “I see another one, I see it!”

 

Gideon spun around, following along after her. In a small nook between two tree roots, a little radiant toadstool was jutting up. With that found, the two had their direction set for them.

 

As they walked, more and more toadstools popped into view. They grew from old stumps, under dense underbrush, and hidden away beneath large trees. They were each as small and insubstantial as the first he’d encountered, but they were steadily growing in number. He hoped that the journal (and in turn, the toadstools) wasn’t leading them astray.

 

Eventually, the forest seemed to get darker, somehow. It was nowhere near evening, Gideon knew from cautious timekeeping. The forest did seem to be getting more dense: the canopy, more thick. Still, they trekked on.

 

“We’ve got to be getting close.” Mindy said.

 

Gideon responded with a sound of affirmation. If increasing spookiness was a sign of them converging on this fairy glen, then they certainly were on the right track. The toadstools grew ever more numerous.

 

Soon, Gideon found both his legs and his willpower straining to go on. Just as he was about to suggest a rest (he was nowhere near ready to go back on his deal), Mindy stopped dead in her tracks and held out a cautious arm.

 

“This is it.” she said, her nervous voice becoming ever more familiar to Gideon’s ears.

 

“How can you tell?” Gideon asked, matching her quiet tone. Everything here looked just the same as the last stretch of woods they’d ambled through.

 

Mindy didn’t speak, only raised her hand and pointed somewhere in the distance. Gideon edged up closer to her, following her gesture with his eyes. He wasn’t sure what she was pointing at, exactly. He could see more of the little purple and yellow toadstools sprawling across the forest floor. The trees did seem to be thinner ahead than where they were standing, he wasn’t quite sure. Still, she was gesturing more impatiently, so he concentrated harder on the scene before him.

 

“It’s a fairy ring.” she said, waving her finger in a small circle.

 

“A what?” Gideon asked, just as he realized what she meant. The toadstools were no longer leading them on in a straight path. Instead, they’d fanned out, growing away from the trail in both directions. He couldn’t see where the two lines of fungi met - that was too far out of sight - but they did indeed seem to be forming a circle in the forest, or ring, as Mindy said.

 

“It’s like… I think it’s like a boundary separating the fairy glen from the rest of the forest… or something like that. I can’t really remember.” she explained.

 

“Great.” Gideon said, not exactly sure if he understood what she meant. “So can we keep going or what?”

 

Mindy shrugged. “I… uh… I don’t see why not.” she didn’t sound very sure, though Gideon was quickly picking up that she never exactly sounded _confident_.

 

“Alright, let’s keep moving then.” he said, watching her hesitate as he pressed forward toward the edge of the fairy ring. Once he reached the outer edge, he too faltered. This seemed a bit reckless, he thought, watching Mindy’s uncertain eyes shift from him to the toadstool boundary. He’d managed to escape _mostly_ unscathed from both of his earlier incidents in Gravity Falls, but he’d gotten into those situations on accident. He hoped he had as much luck with purposeful incidents.

 

He looked at Mindy, and the centaur girl gave him a nervous grin. He couldn’t just turn back here - he’d made a deal. He did want her help, after all. How bad could a bunch of tiny _fairies_ be, anyhow? Steeling himself for the worst, he held his breath and stepped across the line of toadstools into the fairy ring.

 

When he didn’t immediately vanish or turn to dust, he let out his breath. “Seems fine to me,” Gideon said, turning around to face Mindy. “Wait, woah.”

 

Mindy was still behind him, looking concerned. “What? Woah what?” she asked, her head darting around trying to see what had rattled him.

 

“The colours are different in here.” Gideon said, looking around. Once he’d crossed the boundary, the forest seemed to light up with bright, iridescent colours that would put even the brightest of Pacifica’s jackets to shame. “That’s it, though. I think it’s safe.”

 

Carefully, with an expression of extreme reluctance, Mindy stepped across the ring of toadstools. Her eyes widened as the lighting changed for her as well.

 

“And hold on a minute.” Gideon said accusingly. “If you’ve _been here_ once before and met with the _fairy king_ , how come you were so scared a’ crossin’ over the fairy ring?”

 

“Well…” Mindy chewed at her lip. “He was outside the ring when I ran into him. He ran away from me across the boundary and he said if I followed him the fairy ring would turn me into a worm o-or something along those lines.”

 

Gideon blinked. “And you let me cross it first?”

 

“Oh, come on, nothing actually happened!” Mindy said, carefully avoiding Gideon’s eyes. “Let’s just find the fairy king and that talisman and get out of here.”

 

The ring hadn’t seemed to stretch very far when viewed from the other side, but now that they were beyond the boundary, it seemed much larger on the inside. The colourful landscape was almost blinding, and so were the small, twinkling lights that floated all through it.

 

“Are those fairies?” Gideon asked, gesturing to a few of the far off lights.

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” said Mindy. She was searching the area slowly and carefully, each step cautious. “The fairy king might be wearing the talisman, though, so if you see another human, it’s probably him.”

 

“Okay. Are you sure he’ll actually give up the talisman to a couple of strangers?” Gideon asked, following her as she warily walked on.

 

“Well… no.” Mindy said, sounding less and less confident with every admission. “But there’s no harm in trying, right?” and then, speaking even more quietly and carefully. “Plus, maybe, if he says no, well maybe, we could just take it anyway?”

 

“You’re gonna steal from the fairy king?” Gideon asked, baffled.

 

“Shhh, not so loud!” Mindy said, whipping her head around in a panic as she looked to see if anyone had heard them. “I don’t really want to, I mean, I just want to be able to convince him… to just let me borrow it maybe…”

 

Gideon gave her a dubious look. “Oh, please Gideon.” Mindy said, crossing her hands behind her back and pawing the ground with a hoof. “I promise to pay you back - I’ll even try to help you find something _you_ want, if I think I can…”

 

“Yeah, fine.” Gideon said, now wondering if the deal he made was going to be worth it after all. “Let’s just find this fairy king, okay?”

 

Mindy brightened somewhat as they wandered through the ring. As they approached what must have been the center, a particularly large tree came into view. Large, black fungi sprung from the tree, most of which was covered in (admittedly rather sickly), sprawling moss. There were stones built up around the base of the trunk, and several hollows in the tree itself. From what Gideon could see, most of these hollows had one or two fairies sitting or standing inside. It looked to be some sort of communal tree for them, right in the middle of their ring, though from the looks of it, it didn’t seem to be thriving very well.

 

At the base, there was a well worn seat built into the rocks. Seated there was whom Gideon was sure was their quarry - a small, human-looking boy with a crown of twisted twigs and flowers atop his head. He didn’t look _entirely_ human, Gideon thought. His ears were a bit too pointed and his skin a bit too green - though the boy’s skin did look a lot like he’d been smearing mud and berries onto it, like some kind of fairy makeup. There were dark patches of green that looked like they could have been grass stains.. Around his neck was a rather innocuous necklace. A simple leather cord held the round, carved stone to his skin.

 

Gideon shot Mindy a quick look and she nodded carefully. The duo approached the reclining fairy king.

 

“Hey there.” Gideon called out, raising his hand in greeting.

 

The boy’s eyes snapped open. “Who goes there? Intruders?!” he leapt to his feet, staring down the new arrivals. “Hey,” he said, lowering his guard slightly, “I know you! You’re that horse girl who chased me a few weeks ago! I thought I told you no girls allowed, you’ll get your _cooties_ all over everything!”

 

“Cooties?” Gideon asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

The fairy king turned to Gideon. He relaxed a bit, coughing into a fist as he straightened up. “Yes, well, you know. Fairy business and all. No outsiders. Who dares enter my kingdom?”

 

Gideon spared a glance toward Mindy. She looked to the ground, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. He turned back to the king with a sigh. This definitely wasn’t off to a good start.

 

“I’m Gideon, and this here is Mindy. Uh, we don’t wanna intrude on your kingdom. We came to see about asking a favour.” he said, choosing to just straight to heart of the matter.

 

The boy scowled (though it looked more like a pout on his young face). “Wow, you guys are kinda rude! You didn’t even bow before me, the fairy king, and you want some dumb favour?” he said, putting his hands angrily on his hips.

 

Gideon frowned. “Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, Mr. Fairy King—”

 

“That’s ‘Your Highness’ to you!” the boy said while jabbing a condescending finger in Gideon’s direction.

 

“Sorry, _Your Highness_.” Gideon said, starting to feel a little annoyed. Now that they were standing before each other, he could easily see this kid was shorter than even him. He looked like he was no older than five or six years old. His clothing was rather plain for someone who claimed to be a king - plain cloth that looked like it had been dyed with a variety of red and purple berry juices. It had been bedazzled with various forest clutter: acorn tops, leaves, shiny stones, even long grasses had been woven in. The belt wrapped around his waist looked like it was a hairless tail from some poor animal.

 

Mindy made a quiet noise from his side. Gideon glanced her way to see that she was kneeling toward the fairy king, and looking meaningfully toward him. He sighed and followed suit.

 

“That’s more like it!” the king chirped, looking marginally pleased. “Now, lowly peasants, what is this favour you’ve come to ask me, the great fairy king?”

 

Gideon did his best to look supplicating, putting his right hand over his heart and reaching out to the king. “Your Highness, would you find it in your heart to, uh,” he paused, piecing together a thoughtful plea, “allow us to _borrow_ the talisman around your neck?”

 

The king looked utterly rattled. The other fairies, Gideon noticed, had begun to gather around the trio. Whether it was out of interest or hostility, he couldn’t tell. “My talisman?!” the fairy king shouted, looking tenfold more irate than when they’d first arrived. “Who do you think you are?! I’m the fairy king - this talisman shows just how _awesome_ I am! I have, uh, I have… transplendid my simple fairy form to become a terrible and fearsome human! You should tremble before my power!”

 

Mindy gave Gideon a nervous look, mouthing ‘ _transcended?_ ’ to him before going ahead and taking the king’s advice. She did look very jittery. Gideon was feeling a bit nervous now, too. The journal had mentioned the fairies’ magic abilities. It was best that they left before seeing them firsthand.

 

The fairy king was silent, glaring at the two of them. He didn’t _look_ very imposing, Gideon thought, especially when compared to a man-sized mole with claws the size of the fairy king’s whole body. Gideon took a deep breath, deciding to try and convince the king once more before they backed down. Mindy could try stealing the talisman herself if she really wanted it that badly.

 

“Your Highness, isn’t there anything we can do to get you to lend us your talisman? We only wanna borrow it for a bit.”

 

“No, nothing! Begone and never dare enter my kingdom again, or I’ll turn you into squirrels! Er—” the king jumped. As he was speaking, a pair of fairies had fluttered down to float in front of him. The king looked nervously between them and Gideon. “Don’t worry, my loyal subjects, I will get rid of these intruders…”

 

Another group of fairies soared down to flutter around his head. The king was beginning to look tense. Gideon watched curiously as more and more of the small, sparkling fairies surrounded the boy - none of them close enough to actually touch their king. They might have been speaking to him, though Gideon couldn’t tell what they were saying. Their speech was tinkling, bell-like sounds, and musical humming. Their king looked angry, and just a little nervous.

 

“Is there a problem, Your Highness?” Gideon asked.

 

“No, no problem.” the boy said, stepping forward through the growing crowd of fairies. They parted before him. “My citizens were just reminding me that, uh,” here he paused, looking thoughtful, and again (Gideon was _sure_ ), a bit nervous. He straightened up, bringing himself up to his rather lacking full height. “My citizens were reminding me that it is _fairy tradition_ to allow you to challenge me for possession of the talisman that you requested. If I win the challenge, I keep the talisman and you _leave_ , forever, humiliated! If you win the challenge, you are granted your request.”

 

“Alright.” Gideon said, glancing toward Mindy. She nodded enthusiastically, though he noticed she still looked anxious. “What’s the challenge?”

 

“The fairy king issues the challenge!” the king announced. “And my challenge is, you have to beat me in a game of _fairy checkers_! That’s my final offer, either accept the challenge or leave.”

 

The king looked smug and Gideon had to wonder if fairy checkers perhaps involved some magic he couldn’t do, automatically putting him at a disadvantage. Still, if his choices were to leave without trying at all, or to leave after losing (with ‘humiliation’ the only stated consequence), he might as well try. He looked to Mindy questioningly again, but she only gave a small, sheepish shrug. If someone was going to take on the false human, it looked like it had to be him.

 

“Alright. You’re on.” Gideon said.

 

“Really? Er, I mean, _excellent_!” he said, grinning a little too widely. “Let the game begin!” he said with a flourish, motioning for Gideon to follow him. Mindy trotted quietly beside him as they followed the fairy king to a wide patch of trampled dirt. Here, the king picked up a stick from the ground and drew a large grid in the ground. Once the lines had been laid, he strutted away to stand across the makeshift board from his opponent.

 

Fairy checkers, it turned out, was quite a lot like regular checkers. “Ok,” the king said, glancing at the growing crowd of fairies with an unreadable expression. “You’re gonna be pine - ‘cause it matches your hat. And I, of course, will be the _mighty oak_!”

 

Before his eyes, twelve little saplings sprung up on his side of the board, and another twelve on the fairy king’s side, all in the place where checkers pieces would fit.

 

The king clapped his hands together. “The fairy king, of course, gets the first move in fairy checkers.”

 

“Of course.” Gideon mumbled, still looking at the tiny pine trees that had sprouted from out of nowhere. He pulled his eyes away to watch as the fairy king made his move, simply gesturing to one of his oak sprouts, and then to another square on the board. The sapling disappeared underground and quickly erupted again in the new square.

 

The fairy crowd was buzzing - humming. They’d gathered eagerly to watch the game, leaving Gideon feeling a bit anxious under the weight of his sudden audience.

 

“An excellent first move, don’t you think?” the fairy king boasted. “Your turn!”

 

“Alright then.” Gideon said, looking uncertainly at the pine saplings and wondering if they’d obey him just as readily. He gestured to one of his own pieces and pointed toward an empty space. After a beat, the pine sprout followed his command, ducking into the ground and resurfacing where he’d indicated. He grinned, relaxing. This wouldn’t be too difficult - he’d played plenty of checkers growing up.

 

“Prepare to be crushed!” the king jeered, ordering another of his trees onward.

 

Gideon turned to Mindy, shooting her a thumbs up. “I think this’ll be okay.” he said. He thought she looked less nervous now. At least, she smiled as if she was. Her hands were still restless, worrying at the hem of her shirt.

 

The game proceeded smoothly. Whenever a piece was taken, the losing sprout withered away and shrunk into the ground, and the winning sprout seemed to flourish. When a sapling reached the opponent’s side of the board, it quickly matured, becoming twice the size of the other pieces. The boy king was needlessly melodramatic throughout the game, slashing his arms through the air and jabbing fiercely to where he wanted his pieces to move. Gideon treated the game less dramatically, but not less seriously. Mindy watched timidly from his side, cheering him on silently under her breath.

 

Finally, the game drew to a close. The king looked quite shaken as he regarded his final standing oak tree. Gideon still had three of his pines on the board. With a final, rather lackluster gesture, he motioned to one of his pieces to jump the final standing oak.

 

“Alright.” Gideon said, watching the oak tree wither away back into the ground. “I beat you.”

 

Mindy was jubilant. “You did it, oh, thank you _so_ much Gideon!” she said as she applauded excitedly, hopping from hoof to hoof.

 

The fairy king looked like he was about to wither along with his final oak piece. Gideon and Mindy approached him, looking victorious. “Hand over your talisman, Your Highness. We won it fair and square in your little challenge.” he said.

 

The boy glowered. “Ha! No one knows ‘ _fair’_ better than a _fairy_ king!” he said. He stomped his foot angrily and squared his small shoulders. “You can’t have it!”

 

Gideon glared back. “You said if we beat you in your ‘ _traditional_ fairy challenge’, you’d let us borrow it!”

 

“I lied.” the fairy king said with a flippant wave of his hand. “You can’t have it, it’s mine! Now get out of here before I stuff you both with brambles!”

 

Mindy’s hesitant smile drooped worriedly as Gideon fumed. “No hold on one hot second. You weren’t ever gonna give us that doohickey, even if we won?”

 

“Gideon…” Mindy said quietly. He snapped his eyes to her and noticed she was glancing up at the cloud of fairies. Gideon’s glare softened but didn’t disappear, confusion diluting his anger. The sparkling motes that were the fairies had started to converge on their king. The small boy was looking distinctly uncomfortable now.

 

“W-what are you all doing? You know you can’t harm me!” the king shouted, lips quickly curling into confident snarl. He stepped forward toward the fairy crowd, and they all backed away, matching his pace. “I’m the _fairy king_!”

 

The king looked rather distracted with his subjects as he pressed on, trying to escape from their surrounding bubble. Gideon nudged Mindy and gestured toward the boy.

 

“Distract him. Spook him. I’ll steal that talisman for you.”

 

“ _Me_?!” Mindy squeaked. “I can’t do that - he’ll curse me or something awful!”

 

“Uh-huh. And what’s he gonna do to me when I try to steal that thing? He won’t even see us coming with that cloud of fairies around him. If you can make him drop his guard, it’ll be easier for me to take that stone ‘round his neck.” Gideon said.

 

Mindy didn’t look half as sure as he sounded. “But… I don’t know…”

 

“Aw c’mon Mindy, we’re so close.” Gideon said, his voice pleading. “The king’s a pipsqueak - he’s like half my size, and that makes you probably three times bigger than him. Just how badly do you want to get your hands on that talisman?”

 

Mindy shrunk back, still looking uncertain as she spoke. “Okay. Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

 

The king was deep in the crowd of buzzing fairies. He was getting steadily more irate. Even through the dense cloud of his subjects, Gideon could see him starting to lash out with his hands. “Get away from me! You’re all so _annoying_!”

 

So focused was he on this annoyance, he didn’t notice the fairies parting in front of him until it was too late. Mindy rose up on her back legs, kicking and pawing fiercely at the tiny king. He squealed and fell backward, throwing a hand up over his face as he braced his fall with the other. Gideon darted out from behind Mindy, lunging for the fairy king and curling his hands around the stone talisman. With a quick _snap_ , the leather cord broke and Gideon pulled away with his prize clutched in his hand.

 

“No, my stone!” the fairy king wailed, reaching and flailing wildly for the stolen trinket. Gideon stared at the boy.

 

Nothing was happening.

 

The unchanged boy scrambled to his feet, looking fearfully at the fairies surrounding him - all suddenly buzzing angrily. “No, oh, I’m so sorry, _don’t hurt me_!” he shrieked, barrelling past Gideon and Mindy, “no, leave me alone!”

 

An angry group of fairies pursued him all the way to the edge of the toadstool ring, looming threateningly as the small boy leapt over the boundary. Gideon wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought he saw the tail that he’d taken for a belt unwind around the boy and swat at his pursuers as he fled.

 

Gideon and Mindy stared at each other, and then down upon the talisman in Gideon’s hand.

 

Cautiously, Mindy reached out and took the stone herself. With a frown, she turned it over in her hands. “It’s… a fake?”

 

“Phony king with a phony talisman.” Gideon said. “Sorry, Mindy.”

 

Mindy looked disappointed as she handed the stone back to him. “Oh. Whatever, I guess.”

 

Gideon frowned. A sound like a humming bell sounded from in front of him. He looked up and saw a trio of fairies fluttering above his head. A voice echoed in his head, though he didn’t actually see any of the fairies speak.

 

_Hello there! We’d really like to have our glen stone back, please._

 

“Er, this thing?” Gideon asked, holding up the fake talisman.

 

_Yes, oh please, it’s been weeks since that rotten imp stole it! Without it, we aren’t connected to the glen._ Another voice echoed. One of the little fairies shook her balled up fists.

 

Gideon blinked. “Well, sure…” he said, glancing at the still crestfallen Mindy. “I guess we’re not gonna be using it for anything…”

 

The fairies led him back to the withered looking tree in the center of the glen. Gideon tied the stone to one of the low-hanging branches; the change was immediate. The moss on the tree sprung back to life, blooming with heavy purple flowers. The tree itself flourished too, the rot instantly sucked away. A spring of water welled up at the rocky base and all signs of decay faded away. The fairies cheered and hummed happily.

 

 

_Thank you so much! We were so careless!_ One of the voices trilled.

 

“Ah, no problem. I guess.” Gideon said. The fairies seemed ecstatic, but he didn’t feel very victorious any more.

 

He and Mindy strolled toward the edge of the boundary where they’d entered. As they crossed over the line, Gideon watched the whimsical colours and lights blink out of existence. The forest was as dim and gloomy as it had been when they first came here, only he now felt gloomy too.

 

The fairies had thanked them profusely and told them they could visit whenever they felt like it. Gideon tucked that information away in the back of his mind, wondering if the imp had been exaggerating his ‘fairy powers’ at all. It _would_ be pretty useful if he could ask the fairies to turn Dipper Gleeful into a slug if he tried anything. He suspected, however, that the fairies wouldn’t willingly leave their glen.

 

They walked away from the fairy ring in silence. Only when they reached the lone toadstool where they had started, did Mindy speak.

 

“Do, uh, you need any help finding your way back from here?” she asked, still looking glum.

 

“I can find my way from here, if you wanna head home.” Gideon said.

 

Mindy nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, Gideon. I dragged you through all that only to end up with nothing anyway.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. Compared to my last couple of adventures, this was downright pleasant.” he said, giving her a small smile.

 

Her lips twitched, but she didn’t quite smile. She rubbed her arm nervously as she went on. “I’ll still tell you about whatever you want to know, uh, as long as I know what it is to begin with. Centaurs don’t actually have _magic_ , really, so I can’t help you with anything like that. I’m sorry.”

 

Gideon’s face lit up. “Well thanks Mindy! And don’t worry about feelin’ sorry, it wasn’t your fault or nothin’. That fairy king was a sham from the start.”

 

“Ugh.” Mindy said, smacking her forehead with her palm. “I’m so stupid! I should’ve _known_ he wasn’t a fairy!”

 

“Hey, hey, stop worryin’ about it, I said it’s fine.” Gideon said. “But uh, if you don’t mind me askin’, why do you wanna sneak into town so badly anyhow?”

 

Mindy sighed, her head drooping and her mouth likewise. “I dunno, I just… have you ever been _so curious_ about something that you just _had_ to know what it was like?”

 

Gideon was starting to understand the feeling. “I’ll tell you about whatever you wanna know about humans and the town, if you’d like. Y’know, as long as I know it to begin with.” he said, echoing her offer.

 

Mindy smiled a small smile. “Sure. That’d be really nice of you.” she said, backing away down a different part of the forest. “I guess I’ll see you around, Gideon! You’re pretty nice, for a human.”

 

“Thanks.” Gideon said with a smirk. “See you ‘round, Mindy.”

 

In a flash, she’d bolted away through the thick forest bushes. He waved as she left, then ambled off himself toward the trail between town and the Shack.

 

All in all, it hadn’t been a bad day. He was still in one piece. He’d met someone who agreed to help him with his questions about town. He’d found a group of creatures that might actually be able to help him defend himself - maybe. The ball was back in his court now: Dipper Gleeful, beware.

 

\---

 

“Pacifica!”

 

Pacifica’s heart stuttered in her chest and she gripped at her jacket collar. The last person she’d wanted to run into today - or ever again, really - was calling her from behind. Taking a deep breath, she turned slowly in the street to see Mabel Gleeful delicately strolling toward her, waving sweetly.

 

It was the beginning of the afternoon. It was warm, and town had seen a typical Thursday crowd today - a fairly small number of tourists that would swell back to bursting by tomorrow. Most of the people strolling through town were familiar locals. Still, there was enough activity that Pacifica was sure Mabel wouldn’t try anything.

 

“Mabel.” Pacifica answered, straining a wide grin. “Did you need something?”

 

“Need something?” Mabel said, slowing to a stop and smiling at the blonde. “No, nothing like that at all! I just wanted to come and apologize to you.”

 

Pacifica eyed her suspiciously. “What for?”

 

“For my brother’s behaviour, of course!” Mabel said, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth with a dainty hand. “Why,” here her voice dropped to a conspiratory tone, “My brother told me about the _awful_ mishap at my family’s warehouse the other night. Dipper can be such a _brute_.”

 

Pacifica said nothing, trying to read Mabel’s body language and failing spectacularly. She couldn’t tell if the natural actress was sincere, but she was very inclined to err on the side of caution.

 

Mabel waited a moment. When Pacifica remained silent, she sighed quietly. “You don’t trust me - that’s alright. I wouldn’t either! I do want you to understand that my brother was acting entirely on his own stupid intentions. I’m not upset that Gideon turned me down - there are plenty of boys to take to the dance.”

 

“Uh, okay.” Pacifica said quietly.

 

Mabel’s smile shrank into a more serious expression. “Look, Pacifica, I want us to be friends.”

 

“Why?” Pacifica asked, bewildered. The magician girl had expressed nothing but disdain toward her all her life. Why was she doing this now?

 

“I know I haven’t ever been exactly _kind_ to you,” Mabel said, a regretful expression spreading on her face. “I think, after the incident with my brother, it’s for the best that I try to make amends.”

 

“You’re not mad?” Pacifica asked nervously, still trying to watch Mabel’s face carefully.

 

“No, of course not! It was all Dipper’s fault to begin with. He shouldn’t have attacked you and your friend!” said Mabel.

 

“But I br-, er, Dipper’s… brooch broke.” Pacifica said.

 

“His fault, all his fault.” Mabel said, throwing her hands up. “Listen Pacifica, I don’t expect you to immediately link arms with me and we’ll go skipping off to the candy shop. I want to show you I’m sincere! I’m very patient.” she said, edging closer to the other girl. “I can tell you secrets about the town, you know. I know that you found out about Dipper’s amulet. I can teach you about other magical forces around Gravity Falls. Starting with _this_.”

 

Mabel withdrew a small keychain bauble from a pocket on her skirt. Pacifica stared at the cheap trinket dubiously. It was definitely local merchandise - a talon from some sort of bird of prey with two attached feathers. She looked back to Mabel uncertainly.

 

“This, of course, isn’t anything special.” Mabel admitted, jingling the keychain lightly before stuffing it back into her pocket. “But, strangely enough, you will find local shops that occasionally stock some junk trinket that turns out to be the real deal. Often they won’t even realize it! You need a trained eye to pick out something that actually has any magic in it. I can teach you some tips, if you’d like.”

 

Pacifica’s eyes followed the keychain to Mabel’s pocket before returning nervously to the young magician. “Er, well…”

 

“Take your time.” Mabel said, walking past the girl and clapping her on the shoulder gently as she went. “Whenever you’re interested, you know where to find me.”

 

Pacifica shivered as Mabel passed her. She stood still for a moment before glancing over her shoulder. Mabel had already disappeared, either into the crowd or into one of the stores, leaving Pacifica confused and alone on the sidewalk.

 


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have much to say for this one. Hope you guys are enjoying the story! Again, thanks so much for the kind comments/kudos, they mean a lot to me~

**Against the Mirror - Chapter 4**

 

Once the weekend hit, the Mystery Shack was a flurry of activity again. Gideon found himself busy, but not with the sleuthing he’d planned. When Robbie showed up to the Shack on Friday, he asked Gideon if he wanted to learn how to work the cash register. Gideon didn’t exactly _want_ to. It sounded a lot like he was being roped into working, but he nodded anyway and sat down while the teen showed him the buttons on the machine.

 

Grunkle Stan had come to him with a few great-uncle/great-nephew bonding activities for when they had a slow day at the Shack. Aside from the fishing trip he had in mind, he’d also dredged up a few old board games he had stored away. He mentioned the local pool (because apparently the lake was questionable), and a few other shows that he might like. Gideon was wary about the shows, not eager to encounter any other malevolent, magical twins.

 

Soos was in and out of the Shack over the weekend, helping out with a few of the exhibits on the tour and fixing up whatever Grunkle Stan deemed hazardous enough to warrant fixing. He still didn’t talk much, but he acknowledged Gideon now with a subtle tip of his cap. Gideon thought he was interesting, if distant. If anything, his elusive nature made him _more_ interesting. He found himself wondering if the handyman knew more than rumours about the secrets in town.

 

The weekend flashed by quickly. Gideon had spent the tourist-filled days helping out with what he could around the Shack. It was comparatively uneventful to any of his encounters involving monsters. He had only one visitor - Pacifica, on the Saturday. She showed up after Grunkle Stan had given Gideon a quick tour of the Mystery Shack’s exhibits in the morning, and he asked if it was acceptable for him to do the same for her. After he received a casual ‘sure, why not’ from his great-uncle, he dragged Pacifica through the showrooms, giving her brief and barely remembered summaries on what each piece was supposed to be.

 

After they passed the final current exhibit (the dreaded multibear!), Pacifica headed out, telling Gideon she would do her best to investigate around town while he was busy. She mentioned rather slyly how she thought she might have gotten a small lead on something, but didn’t elaborate, and Gideon didn’t ask. He waved her a goodbye and she trotted off to follow up on whatever hint she’d stumbled upon.

 

Come Sunday, Gideon was exhausted. The weekend had been busy, but boring. His paranormal encounters thus far had been mostly in the ‘terrifying’ range, but they’d also been far from dull. Maybe once he slowed down and got to look around the Shack at his own pace, he wouldn’t feel so rushed and disinterested. Surely it was because it had been his first time really getting familiar with his great-uncle’s establishment.

 

Gideon flopped back into his seat beside Robbie and gave a grand stretch. Robbie didn’t look half as worn out as he felt - though, the teen wasn’t exactly new at this.

 

“Tired out already, man?” Robbie asked, a small smirk on his face. “I’ve still gotta come in and work tomorrow too, you know.”

 

Gideon huffed. “I wouldn’t be as tired if I’d just been sitting around all weekend too.”

 

“Hey now, I do plenty of stuff besides sitting behind the cash register.” Robbie said.

 

Gideon shot him a disbelieving look and Robbie chuckled.

 

It was closing in on four o’clock and Robbie was getting ready to head out. The number of tourists coming through the Shack had dwindled down to a few stragglers who were deliberating over which souvenir to take along with them. It looked like it was going to be an early night for the teen.

 

“I guess mid-week is more like a normal weekend for you, huh?” Gideon said, watching as he rung up the total for one of their final customers of the day.

 

“Yeah, it depends on the week itself, too.” Robbie said after the customer had scooped up her purchases. “The end of this week and a bit into the beginning of next will be more busy than usual, because there’s an event in town over the weekend.”

 

“An event?”

 

“The Summertime Dance.” Robbie said, watching the last customer compare two stuffed monster plushies. “It’s not a _big_ tourist hit, but you’ll get a decent showing from the people in nearby towns.”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Gideon said, remembering the dance, but not realizing it was so close.

 

“You gonna go?” Robbie asked.

 

“Er, I dunno…” Gideon said, thinking back to Mabel’s declined invitation and the consequences. It seemed safe to assume that the Gleeful twins would be at the dance. He thought it’d be a good idea to avoid another possible conflict. “I doubt it.”

 

“Yeah, I’m not sure if I’m gonna go either.” Robbie said, making an uncertain face. “There’s a girl that’s been kind of hinting that she wants to go with me, but I don’t know if she’s… my type.”

 

“What _type_ is she?”

 

“She’s kind of…” Robbie wavered, looking for a word, “immature? Yeah, she’s a bit too full of herself. I think she kind of… looks down on a lot of people?”

 

Gideon snorted. Mabel certainly had the same air of self-importance. He wasn’t sure if she’d pass as _immature_. She was a bit too well composed for that. “Would I have seen her around town?”

 

“It’s possible. She wouldn’t have talked to you, though. She doesn’t really talk to younger kids.”

 

The last straggling customer finally dragged up his selections to the checkout line. As Robbie was tapping in the man’s souvenirs, the bell over the gift shop entrance jingled. Gideon sat up in his seat to see Pacifica Northwest slipping through the door. Her hands were deep inside her jacket pockets, and whatever she had hidden in them this time was not peeking out.

 

“Hey Gideon!” Pacifica greeted cheerfully, carefully holding the door for the leaving customer. “Hey Robbie.” she said, a little more meekly, giving the teenager a cautious wave.

 

Gideon grinned and gave her a small wave, while Robbie greeted her with a mellow, “Hello Pacifica.” Gideon noticed he gave her that same indifferent look he always did - though it was far from the lukewarm greeting he gave her when she first introduced herself.

 

“I’ve got some stuff to show you - er, if you’re not busy I mean.” Pacifica said, barely suppressing her beaming smile.

 

“Nah, he’s not busy.” Robbie answered for him. “The shop’s just about to close up, actually. He’s got all the time in the world. Well, until whenever dinner happens here, I guess.”

 

Gideon hopped from his seat and joined Pacifica by the door. “Yeah, what he said. I’ve got time. Wanna head into town for a bit?”

 

“Definitely.” Pacifica said, looking for all the world like she’d stumbled upon a particularly delicious secret.

 

“Can you tell Grunkle Stan I’ll be back in a couple hours?” Gideon asked.

 

Robbie nodded as he locked up the cash register. “Sure thing. Y’know, I think he was looking through his board game collection earlier. I bet he wants to play something with you tonight.”

 

“Alright, I won’t be late.” Gideon said, committed to putting in some of the family time he definitely owed his great-uncle.

 

Pacifica led him out of the Mystery Shack, practically skipping down the path toward town. She still had her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. “I’ve got something to show you!” she said in a singsong voice. He trailed close behind her, curious and amused.

 

“What kind of something?” he asked.

 

“This kind of something.” Pacifica said, looking surreptitiously down either ends of the road. “Actually, no, not here. Let’s go back to that open spot by the woods first.”

 

Now terribly curious what warranted that kind of secrecy, Gideon followed Pacifica down the path, matching her lightning pace with only some difficulty. In minutes they had come back to the open meadow, and Pacifica made a beeline to the same fallen log.

 

Once she’d flopped down, she snapped her attention to Gideon, a knowing grin on her face. “I got a lead on some secrets!” she said giddily, whipping her hands from her pockets at once. A jingling sound accompanied the rapid movement, and once Gideon saw what rested on each of her fingers, he realized why. Pacifica had a keyring dangling from each one of her fingers and thumbs, all of them unique, and all of them rather kitschy.

 

“Uh. Keychains?” Gideon asked skeptically.

 

“Okay, well, actually…” Pacifica began, her excited grin faltering. “I don’t think there’s anything special about these ones, now that I’ve had them with me for a while.”

 

“Were they supposed to be special?” Gideon asked, eyeing each charm doubtfully. They all looked a lot like useless trinkets to him.

 

Pacifica frowned, bringing her hands up in front of her and scrutinizing the keychains herself. “Well, it was just a… er… a rumour I heard… around town.” she said, her voice dropping after every pause. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least _try_ to check it out. Apparently some of the charms you can buy around town turn out to have a bit of magic in them.”

 

Gideon’s lips stretched hesitantly. “I don’t think the journal says nothin’ about charms like them.”

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t have a journal, so I just wanted to… have a look around myself.” Pacifica said, a little defensively.

 

“Sure, if you think it’ll help.” Gideon said quickly. “If you heard the rumour around town then maybe it’s true - I mean, if there’s giant moles livin’ beneath the forest then I’m ready to believe almost anything.”

 

Pacifica gave him a small smile before looking away again. “I just wanted to help somehow. And well, actually, I don’t know how much I trust this rumour.”

 

“Where’d you hear it, anyhow?”

 

Pacifica looked hesitant. “Just around town. Some stupid tourist might’ve said it - they’ll believe anythi-, ah, I mean, well _you’re_ not a stupid tourist.” Pacifica stuttered, quickly backpedalling when Gideon raised an eyebrow.

 

Pacifica tucked the keychains back into her pockets with a long sigh. “Nevermind, let’s just forget it. It was a dumb idea anyway.”

 

Gideon sat down next to her. “Now hold up a sec, you were half skippin’ the whole way here to show me these keychains. We might as well take more of a look ‘round and at least try to see if there’s any truth in that rumour.”

 

Pacifica’s grin quickly returned. “You mean it?”

 

“Sure, why not.”

 

Pacifica leapt to her feet. “You want to go take a look around town right now? There’s still a whole bunch of shops I haven’t hit up - I just _know_ something in one of them will speak to me.”

 

Gideon had the distinct suspicion Pacifica had been faking some of her uncertainty - a bit needlessly, he thought churlishly. If she wanted to spend the day picking through tourist shops, he wasn’t opposed to tagging along. It wasn’t like they’d made other plans.

 

“Come on.” Pacifica said, pointing with a thumb over her shoulder. “Let’s head back to town before too much closes up. If too much is closed we can always window shop and make a note to come back another day.”

 

“Alright.” Gideon said, getting to his feet and following her out of the meadow. “Actually, I’ve got my own lead to tell you about. I would’a told you sooner, but I never really saw you much this weekend.”

 

“Yeah, you were busy.” Pacifica shrugged. “It happens. Did you find a lead in your journal, or maybe one of the exhibits in the Shack gave you an idea?”

 

“Well, it kind of has to do with the journal a bit, I guess…” Gideon said, putting his thoughts together and recounting the tale of the strange girl he’d seen sneaking into town, how he’d wandered off into the woods near the Shack and saw her again, how she was actually a centaur and how they’d both gone in search of an ultimately fake talisman held by an entirely fake fairy king. By the time he finished his story they were just walking into town. Pacifica had a strange look on her face.

 

“So, what do you think of that, Paz? There’s centaurs _and_ fairies in the forest, and maybe we can get help from both of ‘em.”

 

The strange look persisted. “Oh. That’s where you were Thursday. That’s good that you found out some useful stuff.”

 

Gideon looked at her, confused. She sounded more put-off by his findings, rather than excited, as he’d expected. Perhaps it was only fair - he hadn’t been very excited about her keychains. Still, she did look almost upset. “Somethin’ wrong?”

 

Pacifica shrugged, forcing a small smile. “I just… I didn’t know where you were Thursday. That’s alright, though. I’m fine. We were just both investigating on our own.”

 

“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t come and find you. It was kind of… spur of the moment, and then everything just ended up happening.”

 

Pacifica smiled a little more genuinely now. “Don’t be silly. You’re allowed to do your own stuff. I’m not going to be your _only_ friend in town.”

 

Gideon smiled back. “Okay, just making sure you ain’t upset or nothin’.”

 

Pacifica shook her head. “No, I was just kind of… I thought you might come get me if you were going on some adventure.”

 

“No more secret adventures for me, I swear.” Gideon said, crossing his heart. “I’ll come find you next time, that’s the last investigation I do without you along. We can trust each other, right?”

 

Pacifica paused. “Right.” she said. “No secrets.”

 

The two walked into town, both looking into shop windows along with groups of tourists. Pacifica hurried them past a few, explaining that she’d already been inside them. She then explained that she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for. Picking out a magical charm from one of the regular trinkets vendors sold wasn’t easy - she might have missed one.

 

Gideon was watching people across the street from them as Pacifica quickly combed through window displays with discerning eyes. Most locals, he had quickly noticed, seemed to regard Pacifica with anything from indifference to outright disdain. The kids seemed to avoid her - some of the nastier ones made rude faces from afar. Even some of the adults would look at her and shake their heads or raise an eyebrow as they passed.

 

“So, uh, Pacifica?” Gideon said as his companion once again came to an abrupt stop in front of a souvenir shop.

 

“Yeah?” she said, forefinger and thumb on her chin as she surveyed what this shop had to offer.

 

“Who else do you hang around with in town, here? Like, who’re your friends from school?”

 

Pacifica seemed to hesitate a moment before doubling her concentration on the store display. “Oh, well… there’s these two girls I hang around with sometimes. They usually like to do their own thing.”

 

Gideon didn’t respond, not sure how to proceed, or even if he wanted to press the issue. Pacifica saved him from having to speak by continuing on herself.

 

“Why’s that? Did you want to meet some more new people?” she asked.

 

“No, just… curious.” he said.

 

Pacifica shrugged and pushed away from the shop display, apparently having decided nothing inside warranted further investigation. The two walked quietly along toward the next shop while Gideon mulled over his questions in his head, trying to piece it together in the least obtrusive way. As they went, he tried to pay attention to how the townsfolk regarded Pacifica. Most of them passed by without barely an acknowledgement. Some greeted her hesitantly, as if worried someone might reprimand them for doing so. And then, of course, there was the small (but still disturbingly large enough) group that would smile cruelly, roll their eyes, or whisper to whoever was closest.

 

“How come the townsfolk don’t greet you the way they do other folks they know?” Gideon heard himself ask before his brain had given his mouth the OK.

 

Pacifica bristled - subtly, but clearly enough. “They… don’t really know me as well as the other townsfolk, I guess. My family’s kind of low-key.”

 

Gideon gave her a concerned look. “Did somethin’ happen?”

 

Pacifica let out a long sigh and quickly dipped around the nearest corner, off of the busy main street and onto a relatively quieter one. She walked on, silent but for the jingling in her pockets and _tap tap_ of her shoes against the cement. Gideon frowned.

 

“Pacifica? If you don’t wanna talk abo—”

 

All of a sudden, she whirled to face him. She didn’t look angry or upset, but definitely unsure. “Gideon, I’m telling you this because I trust you, and because you said you didn’t want to keep secrets, and because I’m sure if you ask anyone else they’ll tell you something _awful_ and I want to be sure you hear it from me first, okay?”

 

Pacifica had spoken this all very quickly. Gideon ran her words more slowly through his head before nodding for her to proceed.

 

She took a deep breath. “My family is… kind of a joke around town.”

 

Gideon looked at her incredulously. “Why?” Apart from their first abrupt meeting, Pacifica had been nothing but nice. He did quietly note that she hadn’t ever bothered to introduce him to her family, however, or even show him where she lived.

 

Pacifica kicked at the sidewalk. “It started a long time ago - I mean generations ago. My great-great grandfather, Nathaniel Northwest, was… infamous around Gravity Falls. I’ll just come out and say it; he was the village idiot.”

 

Gideon was baffled. “So?” he said. “What’s that got to do with you?”

 

“Well, he was kind of a legend among village idiots.” Pacifica said, more than a trace of sarcasm in her voice. “Depending on who you ask he only spoke in grunts, or walked on all fours, or lived in a ‘castle’ he made out of garbage, or thought he was a beaver and tried to eat the trees in the forest, or thought he was a wizard and tried to curse the squirrels for stealing his acorns…”

 

Pacifica trailed off, looking distinctly upset. Gideon was silent.

 

“I guess eventually he died and then the town tried to run my great grandparents out of town. They were too hardheaded to leave, though, but all the taunting and shame and occasional rotten fruit drove my great-grandpa a little nuts himself. My grandparents were ridiculed a little less, and my parents a little less than that… but I guess old habits die hard, right?” she said, finishing off with a shake of her head.

 

“Pacifica, that’s awful, I had no idea.” Gideon said.

 

She shrugged again. “Whatever. It’s not the greatest legacy, but my family’s still done pretty well for themselves.”

 

“How can they treat y’all that way? That ain’t even close to fair!” Gideon said, feeling his anger beginning to bubble.

 

“Gideon, let’s just… forget about it for now.” Pacifica said, picking up the pace again and heading toward another store. “Thanks for caring,” she said, a little more quietly, “I’m glad that you’re my friend, okay?”

 

“Alright.” Gideon grumbled, stowing his ire and mentally vowing to glare back at anyone that sneered in Pacifica’s direction. His anger softened a bit at her admission. “I’m glad that you found me in the forest last week - this summer’s already been a million times more exciting than I was expectin’.”

 

Pacifica smiled. “Maybe a bit too exciting. Ooh, hey, let’s check out this store up here!”

 

Pacifica was off in a jolt and Gideon hustled along after her. They spent the next hour ducking in and out of souvenir shops. Pacifica bought three more trinkets she claimed ‘just spoke to her’ and definitely had some magic juice to them this time. When Pacifica checked her watch and announced that she had to get going for dinner, Gideon nodded along, knowing that he too was expected back at the Shack.

 

“I guess this wasn’t a very long investigation, huh?” Pacifica said sheepishly.

 

“Don’t matter to me.” Gideon said with a smile. “We can go out again and look some more, if you really want. I guess everything’s gettin’ ready to close about now, though.”

 

“Yeah, maybe tomorrow.” said Pacifica.

 

“I think Grunkle Stan wants me to play cards with him tonight anyhow.” Gideon said. “And I’ll have a look in the journal, to see if it talks about any kind of charm. Maybe then we’ll have a better idea of what we’re lookin’ for.”

 

“Sounds great, thanks Gideon.” Pacifica said, giving him a quick wave before she dashed off toward her home.

 

“See you later.” Gideon called, heading off in the other direction. He thought about having another look through the Shack again, just in case one of the exhibits _did_ give him an idea. Grunkle Stan had enough charms and other knickknacks in the gift shop that it might be worth a look, if only to confirm none of them were actually special.

 

\---

 

“Oh yes, there are _definitely_ gnomes in the forest. Dipper brought one home, once.” Mabel said seriously.

 

“Really?” Pacifica asked, looking to the other girl with wide-eyed disbelief. “Did you guys keep it somewhere? What happened to it?”

 

“Oh…” Mabel said, shrugging languidly. “It got away.”

 

 

It had been hours since Gideon and Pacifica had finished their little investigation outing. Pacifica, however, couldn’t get the thoughts of finding a truly magical trinket from her mind. After she’d finished dinner, she’d sat silently in her room with a notebook, making a list of the trinkets she’d bought, what they symbolized (if anything), and whether or not she thought they had ended up having magic or not. Even once she’d done that, and written a good page or two of her own thoughts, she was still restless. Against her better judgement, she told her parents she was heading outside for a jog before it got dark.

 

Her jog took her to the house of the Gleeful twins - clearly marked with a lit-up billboard denoting it as such. She’d come entirely alone.

 

Gideon had said he didn’t want to have any more secret adventures. Nothing he couldn’t tell her about, or invite her along on. Pacifica desperately wanted to match his promise with her own, but she knew how he would react to this. He wouldn’t want her anywhere near the Gleefuls. He would tell her it was a terrible idea, and in truth, she thought the same. Still, she wanted to be helpful. Gideon had his journal to help on their investigation. Mabel said she wanted to make amends by sharing some of the town’s secrets. This was something Pacifica could use to help both her and Gideon out.

 

Unless Mabel fed her all sorts of misinformation or telepathically tossed her around town or drowned her in the lake.

 

Pacifica smacked her forehead as she stood outside the front gate of the Gleeful residence. This was an utterly awful idea. Before she had the chance to turn around and hightail it back home, however, a voice from the house called out to her.

 

“Pacifica Northwest, is that _you_?” Mabel Gleeful purred, leaning from an open window on the second story of the house. “Hold on for just a minute, I’ll be right there!”

 

Pacifica gaped in silent horror, unable to will herself away from the gate. She’d been seen; there was no running now. In a flash, Mabel Gleeful had emerged from the front door and sweet talked her into a casual walk downtown.

 

It had been… surprisingly nice, Pacifica thought as Mabel warmed up the rather one-sided conversation with talking about how their show was going, what kind of merchandise their father had been planning to order, how pleasant the weather had been lately, the absolutely _precious_ shoes she’d seen for sale the other day. Pacifica hadn’t needed to say much, which she was thankful for.

 

The sun was finally beginning to dim on the long summer night. The souvenir shops were closed now, but many more late-night entertainment venues were opening. Bulbs flashed over restaurants and bars as the two girls wandered through the town.

 

“I should probably get going home now.” Pacifica said cautiously.

 

“Oh come on, let’s just walk a bit farther, shall we?” Mabel said amicably. “I was just getting to what I wanted to talk about! I’m glad you came and found me, Pacifica. I really _am_ sorry for what my brother did, and I _do_ want to make up for it. Let me tell you a bit about the town.”

 

“What, really?” Pacifica said, astounded. “So soon?”

 

“Of course _so soon_.” Mabel said with a laugh. “I want to try and make it up to you! What better way is there?”

 

Pacifica bit her lip. “Well, er, that’d be really great, Mabel. I am pretty curious about Gravity Falls. I mean, I’ve lived here all my life and I’m only just stumbling onto these weird secrets _now_.”

 

“I believe it - the paranormal things around here are actually pretty elusive. Even if something does happen publicly, a lot of people won’t even pay attention to anything remotely out of touch with their reality any mind. A lot of things go unnoticed because people just shrug off weird stuff that happens or rationalize it.” Mabel said.

 

Pacifica nodded, trying to think of a time that she might have seen something out of the ordinary and shrugged it off as nothing. Nothing was coming to mind. She wanted to believe that if she’d run into anything like what she’d seen in the past week, she’d have taken the idea of monsters in Gravity Falls seriously.

 

“So, is my brother’s magic amulet the only thing you’ve seen?” Mabel asked.

 

“No,” Pacifica answered without thinking. “Er… I ran into a giant mole in the forest, they have tunnels under the trees.”

 

“Really!” Mabel smiled. “That’s fascinating. Anything else?”

 

Pacifica shook her head, choosing to keep silent about Gideon’s strange journal.

 

“Ah, well, guess you can’t have seen too much if you’ve only been exposed to all the weirdness recently.” Mabel said. She turned to Pacifica, eyes narrow and interested. “So, what sort of things do you want to know about?”

 

Pacifica hadn’t known where to start. She asked about how common monsters and mythical creatures were - which, Mabel answered, were unexpectedly common. She asked if Mabel had run into many of these creatures, or if Dipper had before, and how they’d handled themselves. She asked about gnomes (a creature she remembered from Gideon’s journal), and Mabel was happy to provide her with answers to each of her questions.

 

“That’s enough boring stories, I think.” Mabel said with a wave of her hand. “Let’s talk about something else.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Pacifica said. She hadn’t thought the stories were boring - quite the opposite. Still, she didn’t want to upset Mabel when she was being so forthcoming and friendly.

 

“Let’s see…” Mabel began, tucking her arms behind her back and staring up to the sky in thought. “The Cedar Hill Inn Summertime Dance is this Saturday - do you think you’ll be going?”

 

“Who, me?” Pacifica said, giving her head a dismissive shake. “Nah, I’ve gone once before… I don’t think it would be much fun.”

 

“Really? I was sure you’d be going with Gideon Pines.” Mabel said, her gaze curious, probing.

 

Pacifica laughed nervously. “Oh, no, no, we’re not - uh - we’re not… like that. We’re not, y’know, _together_.”

 

“Interesting.” Mabel said with a shrug.

 

Pacifica regarded the other girl cautiously. “Why… uh - did you think we were a couple?”

 

“Well, you do hang out all the time.” Mabel said with a smile.

 

“Oh, well yeah.” Pacifica said. “But he’s a new kid in town and I figured he’d want someone to help show him around and get him used to the place.”

 

“Yes, you two really hit it off, huh?”

 

Pacifica nodded slowly, her grin slipping into a hesitant half-grin, half-grimace. She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, or how comfortable she was talking with Mabel about Gideon. Mabel saved her from having to respond by swinging an arm around Pacifica’s shoulders and cheerfully changing the subject.

 

“You know, I regret not getting to know you _years_ ago, Pacifica. You’re so interesting! I think we should hang out more, just us girls.” Mabel said with a sweet smile.

 

“Ah, sure.” Pacifica said, not knowing how to react to the other girl’s overt familiarity. “That sounds fun… what would you want to do?”

 

“Oh, you know, maybe see a movie, take a walk through town, gossip about boys - whatever you like. I can always show you more secrets.”

 

Pacifica nodded again, unable to find any reason to deny her offer that wasn’t ‘ _I’m sorry, but your brother freaks me out, and I’d like to stay as far away from him as possible_ ’. Mabel really did seem like she was trying to be friendly. She’d also mentioned more secrets. “Right!” Pacifica said suddenly, stopping herself conveniently in front of a closed souvenir store and shrugging off Mabel’s arm. “I was looking at trinkets over the weekend, because I remembered you said some in town actually end up being magical.”

 

“Were you?” Mabel said, her eyes following Pacifica’s pointing finger. The corners of her mouth twitched up in a sorry smile. “Oh _Pacifica_ , I didn’t mean dingy little holes in the wall like your average tourist trap.”

 

Pacifica shrunk back, looking down in embarrassment. “You didn’t?”

 

“No, no, don’t look like that, it’s entirely my fault. I should have been more clear. If you want a chance at finding something with some _real_ juice, you can’t dive into these places where the mass-produced keychains are a dime a dozen. You need to check out the stores that sell the unique, more handcrafted charms. Sometimes they’ll sell something someone pawned off on them, not knowing what it was, or they’ll get lucky and something in one of their shipments will have a bit of magic inside.” Mabel explained patiently.

 

“Okay.” Pacifica said, eyes narrowed in determination. She was going to find one of those charms.

 

“If you want one so badly, _I’ll_ find one for you.” Mabel said with a smile.

 

Pacifica bit her lip. “You don’t have to do that for me, Mabel. I can try to look around on my own.”

 

Mabel looked at her a moment before rolling her shoulders. “It’s up to you.” she said, looking up at the sky again. “My, it’s gotten late, hasn’t it? I guess we should both be heading home now. Please don’t be a stranger, Pacifica! I’d love to see more of you.”

 

“Okay, I’ll see you around Mabel.” Pacifica said. The other girl gave her a casual wave before strolling back the way they had come.

 

Pacifica watched her walk for a moment before turning away to head toward her home. Her eyes were glued to the shop display windows as she marched on. Her plan of attack really had been foolish, in retrospect. Of course mass-produced replica keychains wouldn’t be magic. She’d need to find something unique to have a chance.

 

On her way, she paused. Her eye had caught the sign of one of the souvenir shops. ‘ _One of a Kind Good Luck Charms!_ ’, it boasted. Pacifica turned her gaze toward the store’s doorway. The neon sign was lit up with _Come In, We’re Open!_ , and dim lights could be seen inside the store. It seemed just lucky enough to her that she’d come across one of the businesses that stayed open late, that she let herself in, interested in getting one of the good luck charms herself.

 

\---

 

Gideon’s night had been uneventful. Grunkle Stan had busted out an old copy of ‘Chutes and Ladders’ and they’d spent a few minutes chasing each other’s pieces around the board until ultimately, Gideon reached the end first. Grunkle Stan quickly set the game aside, grumbling about how the game was meant for younger kids anyway. He then pulled out a deck of cards and proceeded to beat Gideon six ways from Sunday in more variations of poker than Gideon could keep track of. If his great-uncle had been wearing a shirt with long sleeves, he’d have been sure there were aces up them.

 

Eventually, the cards were swept away too. After Gideon assured Grunkle Stan that yes, he was sure he didn’t want to play another hand of poker, he shuffled off to his room for some sleep. It had been a busy weekend.

 

Robbie was already working the cash register in the gift shop when Gideon finally decided to emerge from his room. It was still fairly early in the day, so he was surprised when Pacifica let herself into the Shack, her hands once again tightly balled in her jacket pockets.

 

“Morning, Gideon! I’ve got a gift for you.” she said, strolling up to the counter and beaming at her friend. Her smile became a bit more subdued as she nodded toward the teen next to him. “Hey Robbie.”

 

“Hey.” Robbie said, looking up only briefly from his novel to acknowledge her. Gideon gave him a frustrated look, but Pacifica only shook her head.

 

“Alright. I’m headin’ out for a bit, Robbie.” Gideon said, hopping from his seat and following Pacifica to the door.

 

“See you later.” Robbie said, sounding a bit more friendly to him.

 

If Pacifica had been excited yesterday, she looked entirely jubilant today. “Guess what, guess what! I ended up buying another charm yesterday. This one’s got to be really something, I can just _feel_ it!”

 

Gideon sighed good-humouredly. “If you really think so, Paz.”

 

“I do, I know it!” she said, stopping dead in the path and spinning around to face him. Dramatically, she drew a small, fuzzy paw on a chain from her pocket and held it out before him.

 

He raised an eyebrow. “A rabbit’s foot?”

 

“Not just any rabbit’s foot! The guy in the store said this was a jackalope’s foot - _extra_ lucky.” Pacifica said, looking extremely pleased with herself.

 

“As far as magic critters go, I’d say a jackalope is easy enough to believe in.” Gideon said. “So you think this is a magic good luck charm?”

 

“I was so sure when I saw it that there was just _something_ about it. I got it for you! Hold out your arm.” Pacifica said, shaking the chain lightly.

 

“For me? Are you sure?” Gideon asked.

 

“Of course I’m sure, hold out your arm!” Pacifica said with a laugh.

 

Gideon held out his arm obediently. “Gee, thanks Pacifica. You really didn’t have to get me nothin’. Are you sure you don’t wanna keep the charm for yourself?”

 

Pacifica nodded firmly as she carefully linked the chain around Gideon’s wrist. With a small _snap_ , the clasp closed and the jackalope paw dangled neatly from around his arm. Gideon felt a strange sensation for a beat, which vanished so quickly he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it or not. Maybe there really was something to this charm Pacifica picked up.

 

She smiled as she regarded the hanging charm with satisfaction. “I thought a good luck charm would be perfect for you - you know, since the first thing you did when you got here is fall into a tunnel of giant mole people, and then get tossed around by Dipper Gleeful and his magic amulet. Maybe it’ll help you uncover more secrets around town, too! Do you feel any more lucky?”

 

 

Gideon raised his arm so the charm swayed in front of his face. “I dunno, I thought I felt _somethin’_. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, right?”

 

“Right.” Pacifica said cheerfully. “So, what do you want to do today?”

 

Gideon shrugged. “Dunno, what else is there to do around town?”

 

“We could hit up the arcade, or visit the lake, or the public pool. They’ve got comic books and stuff at the library. Or, if you wanted to keep looking for stuff, we could take another walk through the woods or check out some more souvenir shops.” said Pacifica.

 

“The arcade sounds fun, I didn’t even know there was one in town.”

 

Pacifica grinned. “It’s pretty well stocked, too. The tourists love it. They’ve got some decent games, too.”

 

Gideon followed Pacifica down the trail to town, gazing down every so often to look at the paw charm in interest. Maybe he could do some things to test his lucky charm - beating Grunkle Stan at poker might be a start.

 

They arrived at the arcade shortly. The place was busier than he had expected, though Pacifica didn’t seem to think so. He followed her as she strode over to one of the token machines and swapped some money for gold coins stamped with the arcade’s logo. Gideon fished his own savings from his pocket and followed suit.

 

Pacifica quickly plopped down in the seat of a racing game, and Gideon sat down next to her in an identical seat. “Wanna race?” she asked playfully, slipping a few of her tokens into the coin slot. Gideon copied her, and she selected a course for them. Only a few seconds into the race, it was clear she’d played the game quite a few more times than he - she had a huge lead on him. She easily kept this lead all the way past the finish line. Big block letters flashed ‘ _WINNER!_ ’ across her screen.

 

She smiled at Gideon. “Guess luck has nothing on experience.”

 

“Guess not.” Gideon said, looking around the arcade room for another game to try. “I’m gonna test out one of the pinball machines.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be over at _Sky Intruders_.” Pacifica said, picking up her cup of tokens and wandering off to a machine on the other end of the arcade.

 

Gideon set down his cup of tokens on the ground next to the pinball machine and popped in a pair of tokens. The game lit up and flashed merrily, and he launched one of the silver balls into the game. It didn’t take him long to realize fortune wasn’t favouring him in this game, either. The controls seemed to stick - the paddles wouldn’t react quickly enough when he tapped them and the ball moved around the field as if it had a mind of his own. After a quick loss, he went to retrieve his tokens, only to end up kicking the cup over.

 

He grumbled as he knelt down under the game, scooping his remaining tokens back into the cup. As he stood up, he smacked his head against the underside of the pinball machine. He staggered away from the game, clutching his head and groaning. Some good luck charm this had turned out to be.

 

The rest of the games went no better. His reflexes were completely shot today - he couldn’t finish some of the easiest levels to save his life (and definitely not the lives of whatever character he was controlling). Pacifica watched over his shoulder with an amused smile.

 

“Wow, you suck at video games.” she said, plunking her empty cup into his. He’d spent his last token on a brick breaking game (which he’d lost spectacularly). Technically, it hadn’t been his _last_ token, but he’d lost a couple more when he’d fumbled the coins and they rolled beneath the machines across from him.

 

“Not usually.” he grumbled.

 

“Maybe you’re just having an off day.” Pacifica suggested. And then, a little more gloomily: “Maybe the charm’s a dud. I was sure it would be a real good luck charm.”

 

“Maybe it just takes a while to kick in.” Gideon said, sounding doubtful to his own ears. “Thanks for the charm again, though. I do like it.”

 

Pacifica brightened. “Let’s go get lunch. You want burgers?”

 

The trip to Greasy’s Diner was punctuated by a couple trips and stumbles courtesy of Gideon. By the time they made it to the restaurant, he was no longer doubting the charm’s good luck magic - now he _knew_ it wasn’t helping him any. He was feeling more and more clumsy as the day went on. Gideon knew he wouldn’t be the first to be called _graceful_ , but tripping over his own feet at least four times on the way into town was a bit excessive.

 

After the pair had been served by the surprisingly sprightly ‘Lazy’ Susan, and the burgers promptly decimated, Gideon elected to head back to the Shack. He wasn’t sure how many more adventures he could take, especially with how uncoordinated he seemed to be. Pacifica waved a quick goodbye and he started back (carefully) toward the Mystery Shack.

 

However, he fared no better back at home. After a few clumsily handled (thankfully not fragile) pieces of merchandise, and a couple more stumbles, it was suggested that maybe he go watch some television for a while. He couldn’t hurt himself, or anyone or anything else, if he was sitting down alone.

 

So, he ended up spending a fair amount of the day sitting still. A thought had occurred to him, as he was sitting and watching _Duck-tective_. His eyes fell to the jackalope foot, resting innocuously against his wrist. His clumsiness had kicked in shortly after Pacifica had closed that chain around his arm, and he _thought_ he had felt something when she did. A sneaking suspicion crept into his mind. Maybe the charm _was_ magic; it was simply an _unlucky_ charm.

 

It could be useful, maybe, somehow, if he could trick Dipper Gleeful into wearing it. Of course, there were two problems with that plan: one being that Dipper would certainly recognize it as a magic charm, two being that it was currently on _Gideon’s_ wrist.

 

And then, a third problem became apparent. Gideon reached over to the bracelet, tugging back his sleeve to get at the chain. He pried at the clasp to no avail. The chain refused to open for him, no matter how much prying and pleading he did. The bad luck charm was stuck on his wrist.

 

Still, it wasn’t a big deal, Gideon thought. There were other options. Maybe someone else could take the bracelet off for him, or else he could try and cut it off, provided he could find some wire cutters that could slice through the thin chain.

 

He leapt to his feet, remembering his predicament a moment too late, and stumbled forward to meet the living room floor. He got to his feet a little more gingerly, carefully walking to the gift shop. Robbie was still at the till, helping a couple pile their purchases into a Mystery Shack paper bag.

 

Robbie would take the chain off for him. He’d just have to explain that he couldn’t open the clasp himself - which was true - and the teen would help him out. He tread carefully across the shop, successfully reaching the checkout counter without a single stumble.

 

“What’s up, Gideon?” Robbie asked.

 

_Well, I was hoping you could help me take off this bracelet, I can’t exactly get it to open for me_ , Gideon tried to say. However, he found he couldn’t get his mouth to move the way he wanted to. His tongue seemed to twist up in his mouth, and his teeth locked together. When he tried to speak again, what tumbled from his lips was not a request for help, but a simple, “Nothin’.”

 

“Bored of watching the TV already?”

 

“Already? I’ve been gone for a couple hours now.” Gideon said, trying to cover his panic.

 

Robbie chuckled. “Well, you’re welcome to join me, you know. It’s a slow day.”

 

Gideon nodded, carefully climbing into the chair next to the teen and running what he wanted to say through his head again. Why couldn’t he tell Robbie about the charm? Every time he tried to speak up, the same clenching feeling welled up in his mouth again. He glared down at the paw. Not only was it preventing him from taking it off, it wouldn’t let him ask anyone else for help either.

 

He sat there for a while longer, trying different variations of his request in his head and finding they all resulted in the same tied tongue. If he couldn’t get help from someone else, he was on his own. He needed to find something he could use to cut the chain. He’d explain to Pacifica afterward. He wasn’t left with many options - she’d surely understand.

 

Cautiously, he slipped from his seat and headed back toward the main rooms of the house.

 

“Leaving so soon?” Robbie called, amused.

 

“Just bored.” Gideon said with a shrug, his careful steps not quite measuring up against the charm’s magic this time. He stumbled through the doorway, meeting the floor hard on his way down. He scuffled back to his feet, not daring to look back and check if Robbie had witnessed his fall.

 

The handyman had a supply closet nearby - surely he had some wire cutters, or something strong enough to snap the little chain. Gideon tiptoed over to it and eyed the contents of the closet nervously - particularly the sharp and/or heavy tools. Having the misfortune of getting a little too acquainted with any of them would put even more of a damper on his evening.

 

On the main shelf, a large toolbox sat. Gideon propped it open and glanced around at the tools inside. A pair of wire cutters rested in one of the compartments, and Gideon reached in to retrieve them. The box slammed shut on his hand when his fingers closed around the handle and he bit back a few sharp words. Carefully, he opened the box again and withdrew the wire cutters without another mishap. Angling his wrist, he slid the chain between the blades and closed his eyes as he bared down on the handles.

 

Nothing happened. He opened his eyes. The chain was still completely intact - the cutters hadn’t made even a dent in the metal.

 

“You gotta be kiddin’ me.” he groaned, setting the wire cutters back into the toolbox and very cautiously backing out of the closet.

 

He couldn’t take the bracelet off himself. He couldn’t tell anyone about the charm. He couldn’t cut through the chain. His brief list of ideas had already been exhausted. Gideon couldn’t see a way out of his predicament.

 

He didn’t want to panic. This was nothing compared to being captured by giant moles with claws like butcher knives, and it was nowhere near as terrible as being thrown around like a ragdoll by Dipper Gleeful and his telekinetic amulet. He’d get out of this somehow. Still, the prospect looked grim. Glumly, he made his way back to the living room to settle back down in front of the television (a relatively safe pastime, until he could figure out a way to remove the charm around his wrist).

 

Gideon heard Robbie leaving the Shack a little past four o’clock. Grunkle Stan had finished off the last tour of the day a while ago. Gideon sat quietly, watching whatever happened to be on the air at the time and feeling increasingly fidgety. When Grunkle Stan came and asked him, a couple hours later, if he wanted to play some cards or a few board games, he’d almost sprung from his seat before recalling the charm.

 

The games went as well as expected - Gideon lost spectacularly at each and every one.

 

“Looks like you’re off your game tonight, kid.” Grunkle Stan said, sweeping up the cards and shuffling them with practised precision. “One more hand?”

 

“No thanks.” Gideon sighed. He’d tried to ask his great-uncle about unlatching the chain around his wrist, but again, couldn’t get his tongue to work when he tried to speak. He’d have to come up with another way to rid himself of the bad luck charm.

 

“Hey, don’t take it too hard! Everyone had their off days.” Grunkle Stan said as he tucked the playing cards into their box.

 

Gideon shrugged, fiddling with the jackalope foot absently. Stan’s eyes followed his movement and seemed to linger for a moment on the trinket. “Are you wearing a bracelet?”

 

“Pacifica got it for me.” Gideon said, hoping that maybe Grunkle Stan would ask to see it - maybe he would even take it off for him.

 

“Y’know, the Shack sells nicer stuff than that.” Grunkle Stan said, a little peevishly.

 

Gideon gave him a strange look. “Uh… okay. I don’t actually know where she got it.”

 

Stan was eyeing the bracelet strangely critically. “Tourists coming through here will snap up any old tchotchke they lay eyes on - and if they see someone wearing something, that’ll make them more likely to want _that_ thing.” Stan said, looking a bit ruffled, but Gideon didn’t think it was because of him. “The whole town lives off tourism, but I mean really, you’d think people would put at least a _little_ effort into their merchandise. Gravity Falls isn’t supposed be some backwater town where you can buy tacky jewellery thrown together by someone’s five-year-old. This place is losing its sense of quality.”

 

Gideon nodded along, not actually sure what his great-uncle was getting at. The Mystery Shack didn’t exactly come across as a five star attraction, and as far as _quality_ went, some of the displays in the tour could use a little TLC to make them more exhibit-worthy - to say nothing of the Shack itself.

 

“Eh, I guess you’re too young to worry about business, though.” Grunkle Stan said. He stood up, pushing away from the table and stretching (cracking his back with a satisfying _pop_ in the process). “Maybe you could impart some wisdom onto your friend, tell her rabbit feet went out of style over ten years ago.”

 

“It’s a jackalope foot.” Gideon said.

 

“Those too.” Stan said. “Hey, you know, the Shack’s not open Wednesday - how about we have our fishing trip then? Sound good?”

 

Gideon’s mind flashed with gruesome images of misaimed fishing hooks. Handling them could go - _would_ go - poorly while he still had the charm working against him. “Sounds great.” Gideon said, trying not to wince from the thought of getting skewered by his own hook.

 

“Alright, then there’s our plan.” Grunkle Stan said with a grin. “We’ll play another round of cards tomorrow - maybe you’ll actually get some decent hands.”

 

As long as he had the charm on him, he doubted it. Still, he returned his great-uncle’s smile. “Can’t wait.” he said, leaving his own seat and heading slowly toward the stairs. “I think I’m gonna turn in early tonight, though.”

 

Grunkle Stan bid him goodnight and he ascended the stairs, slipping only once before he made it to his bed and collapsed into it.

 

\---

 

Tuesday morning did not start off well. Despite being absolutely sure he’d left his hat on his dresser, it was nowhere to be found in the morning. Gideon gave his whole room a thorough search - resulting in no fewer than five splinters, and several good bodily thwacks that he was sure would bruise quickly. He gave up after tripping and smacking his head against his bed frame. Wherever his hat had gotten to, it wasn’t here.

 

Uncomfortably, he checked the drawer where he kept the third journal hidden, letting out a breath of relief when it was exactly where it usually was. There wasn’t any reason for it _not_ to be there - he hadn’t touched it recently. He hadn’t even glanced in it for information on charms, and he wasn’t keen on laying a hand on it any time soon. He’d probably ‘accidentally’ drop it out the window, or misplace it like he had his hat, or it would burst into flames, or something else extremely unfortunate.

 

He carefully pushed the drawer shut and surveyed the room again with a sigh. He hadn’t had any great epiphanies on how to ditch the jackalope foot, and he wasn’t eager to go stumbling forward into another day of literal stumbling. Once he’d helped himself to breakfast, he spent most of his morning in front of the television again.

 

The bell hanging in front of the door of the gift shop had jingled several times over the morning. Gideon hadn’t paid it any mind until one instance of bell’s _ting_ was followed shortly by a friendly interruption.

 

“Hey Gideon! Robbie said I could come right in.” Pacifica said, leaning into the living room and grinning. “What’re you up to today?”

 

“Uh…” Gideon began, glancing uncertainly between her and the television (currently airing some action movie with very little actual plot). “Nothing, I guess. You’re here pretty early.”

 

Pacifica let herself further into the room, leaning against the arm of Gideon’s chair and fixing him with a smile. “I guess so. I was trinket hunting a bit more yesterday afternoon.” she said, dropping her tone conspiratorially. “I thought maybe we could go out and do some more research?”

 

Gideon tried not to look hesitant. “I dunno… I’m not feelin’ too up to runnin’ around much today.”

 

Pacifica’s grin didn’t falter as she shrugged. “Well, we don’t have to go out then. Would it be okay if we hung around here and maybe browsed the you-know-what a bit? Maybe we can find some hints, or maybe it’ll actually be able to verify one of the charms I picked out!”

 

Again, Gideon hesitated. He didn’t want to turn her away entirely - in fact, shooting down any and all of her plans until he finally managed to remove the bad luck charm sounded like an impossible feat. Staying here was definitely the more preferable of options. If he managed to hurt himself, at least he was already at home. Having Pacifica around might even mitigate the inevitable damage; if the journal was in her hands, he’d be less likely to rip any pages.

 

“Alright, let’s do that.” Gideon said after mulling it over a moment too long. “My room’s upstairs.”

 

Pacifica beamed. “Lead the way.”

 

Gideon did so, hoping his caution in climbing the stairs wasn’t too conspicuous. Of course, on the other hand, if he _was_ conspicuous, perhaps Pacifica would be able to deduce what was going on.

 

“By the way, I noticed you’re still wearing the charm I bought you!” Pacifica said once they’d reached the landing unscathed. Her eyes were practically sparkling as they settled on his wrist. “How’s it working out, feeling lucky yet?”

 

Gideon almost scoffed. Instead, he shrugged, looking down at the charm and trying to find words that he could make himself say, without them being a lie. “It’s doing somethin’.” he murmured. Pacifica grinned.

 

He pushed open the door to his room, freezing in place and his face twisting in astonishment as he took in the scene unravelling before his eyes.

 

The window in his room was cracked open, and a long, green, unmistakably plant-like tendril was feeling its way curiously around Gideon’s bedside table, as if drawn by some force. The vine wrapped itself around the drawer’s handle, yanking it open, and diving in. It quickly found what it was searching for and withdrew from the drawer, holding up its prize almost victoriously.

 

The third journal.

 

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Pacifica asked, elbowing past her stricken friend and taking a look at the scene herself. Her eyes widened. “What _is_ that thing?”

 

Before either of the kids managed to make a move, the tendril slid back through the window, vines wrapped securely around the book. Gideon made a choking noise before spinning on his heel and dashing back toward the stairs. “It’s got the journal!” he squawked, taking the stairs two at a time before stumbling and taking the last few with a graceless fall.

 

“Oh my god, Gideon, are you okay?!” Pacifica called, racing downstairs after him.

 

Gideon was on his feet in a flash and stumbling toward the nearest exit. “I’m fine, I’m fine, we can’t let that thing get away!”

 

Pacifica nodded sharply, already on Gideon’s heels and easily passing him as she sped out the side entrance of the Mystery Shack.

 

Gideon caught up with her when she paused outside, below the window to his room. He was breathless already. “Where did it get to?” he asked, trying not to sound too panicked.

 

“I think that’s it.” Pacifica said, pointing to a rustling spot making its way across the Mystery Shack grounds and toward the forest. She’d barely spoken before she was off and running again, Gideon chasing after her.

 

Pacifica looked back over her shoulder, skidding to a halt as Gideon tripped and fell to the ground.

 

“No, keep goin’, don’t lose sight of it! I… I’ll catch up.” Gideon said doubtfully. Pacifica made a pained expression but sprinted into the woods, the travelling vine still visible in the distance.

 

She was closing in on it, albeit slowly. The tendril wasn’t moving quite as quickly as she could, and after springing after it at full speed, she’d managed to close the distance between them. The strange vine was mostly submerged underground now, but seemed to have little trouble burrowing its way along through the woods. Pacifica now only had to walk quickly to keep up with it, which she was grateful for; she had a stitch in her side and her breathing was laboured.

 

The vine was wrapped tightly around the journal, though not so tight that it was squishing it. Pacifica wasn’t sure if she would be able to pry the book away from the plant - its grip looked solid. How strong it really was, she could only guess. Whenever she reached out to grab the book, the vine flinched away, always just beyond her grasp.

 

“Okay, listen here you… plant.” Pacifica said, not sure if reasoning with the vine would do any good, but prepared to try all the same. “That’s my friend’s journal, and I can’t let you take it. Didn’t your… uh… plant parents teach you that stealing is wrong?”

 

The vine made no reply (not that she had expected one). Pacifica followed it deeper and deeper into the woods, checking over her shoulder every now and then to see if Gideon was anywhere in sight.

 

She’d never been this far into the woods without having a trail to follow, she noted, quieting the urgent little voice in her head that was screaming for her to turn back. Even when she’d first met Gideon they’d only been a quick jaunt from the nearest hiking path. She’d followed the book-thieving plant without thinking, and now, she realized, the forest was starting to look darker and more wild than she’d seen before.

 

It was then that the towering redwoods seemed to recede. The trees thinned, curving away as the forest floor opened up into a gloomy grove that sloped downward to one, singular, giant tree.

 

Pacifica stumbled, her breath catching for a moment as she recalled her last encounter with an open grove in the forest. But there was no freshly tilled earth here, and the plant was marching on with its captive journal, so Pacifica followed.

 

“What is this place?” she whispered, still dogging the travelling vine as she took in the strange sight before her.

 

The grove was larger than she’d first thought. The ground here was mostly free of undergrowth, and grass grew in thick patches from soil filled with stones. Here and there a massive root had burst through the soil - slightly green, and much like the plant she was pursuing. It was still travelling steadily ahead of her, getting closer and closer to the enormous tree in the grove’s center.

 

The tree, Pacifica noted, was no taller than any of the surrounding conifers. Its height, however, seemed to have no bearing on its width. The tree was at least twenty times thicker than any she’d seen in the woods before. But it wasn’t the size of the tree that had Pacifica baffled; it was the thousands of books inlaid in its bark.

 

“What the _heck_?” Pacifica said, staring at the tree as she confirmed that, yes, those were the spines of countless books peeking from the tree’s rough bark. At the base of the tree, most of the books seemed almost entirely engulfed by tangled swells of flaking bark. Farther up the trunk, books were ‘shelved’ more loosely, pressing into the tree without much purchase, and nowhere near as engulfed as those at the base. From what she could see of the books near the ground, they were all old - much older than even the oldest looking books further up.

 

The travelling plant trekked onwards towards the tree, and Pacifica balked at the sudden realization of what it planned to do with its captive journal. “ _No!_ ” she called, chasing after it with fresh panic. “No, no you can’t have that book! It’s my friend’s and it’s very important!”

 

Pacifica lunged, her hands finding the book and clutching it fiercely. The tendril, however, was fiercer still, and too easily wrenched out of her grip. It continued on, unimpeded, until it was close enough to the tree. The plant then burst forward from the ground, becoming more thick and rugged as it emerged (a root, not a vine, Pacifica thought). It arced toward the tree, placing the journal carefully in an open space. The bark of the tree bent around it, accepting it tenderly.

 

Pacifica stared, mouth agape. How was she supposed to get the journal back from a book-thieving _tree_?

 

“Hey, are you lost?”

 

Pacifica yelped, whirling around to face whoever had snuck up on her. Her surprise was coloured with apprehension when she didn’t see anyone nearby.

 

“Down here.” the voice said patiently. Pacifica complied, quickly picking up her surprise as easily as she’d dropped it. The voice belonged to a tiny, squat man with a face framed by his brown beard. A conical red hat decorated his head.

 

“You’re a gnome.” Pacifica said, thinking of the page in Gideon’s journal only after recalling her conversation with Mabel.

 

“Yep, and you’re a human - that’s why I thought you were lost. Don’t really see humans out here. Ever.” the gnome remarked. Pacifica thought there was a bit of an edge to his voice, but he didn’t seem angry.

 

“I’m not lost.” Pacifica said, looking away from the gnome to survey the forest surrounding her - the _unfamiliar_ forest. “Well, okay, I’m probably a little lost. But I had to come here, my friend’s journal was stolen by… this tree?” she trailed off, sounding uncertain. “I followed it all the way here.”

 

The gnome scratched at his whiskers. “Now _that’s_ odd. How far into the woods were you guys? And where’s this friend of yours?”

 

“We weren’t in the woods at all.” Pacifica said. “We were at his house, and there was a tree root that slunk up into his room and took the journal right out of his drawer - we _saw_ it.” Pacifica’s expression faded from frustration to concern at the mention of Gideon. “My friend tripped while we were chasing after it. He told me to go on without him so we didn’t lose track of it.”

 

Where was Gideon now? Not lost in the woods, she hoped. He had never managed to catch up with her. Hopefully he was alright, and hadn’t come after her once she was out of sight.

 

The gnome was tugging at his beard, now, looking almost baffled. “Not in the woods, huh? That’s _odd_. The Arbarchive must’ve been starving…”

 

Pacifica blinked. “The what?”

 

“Arbarchive.” the gnome scoffed. “Arbor and archive smashed together. Stupid name, right? I didn’t name it - I would’ve named it the ‘Book Tree’. Much less confusing.”

 

Pacifica doubted that ‘ _Book Tree’_ would be any less obfuscating to anyone who hadn’t actually seen said Book Tree with their own eyes. She cleared her throat. “What do you mean, the tree was starving?”

 

“Well…” the gnome scratched at his beard, stretching out the word in a pause. “The Arbarchive kind of… eats books.”

 

“ _What_?!”

 

“It’s true!” the gnome said, mistaking her panic for astonishment. “One of the last trees in Oregon that gets its nutrients from stories instead of the soil. Hey, where are you going?”

 

Pacifica had whirled around and marched up to the bulbous trunk of the tree, eyeing the engulfed books as her stomach did backflips. Swallowing hard, she reached out for the nearest handhold and started to hoist herself upward.

 

“Hey, hey! You can’t do that! What do you think you’re doing?!” the gnome shouted, racing after her on his stubby legs.

 

“I _need_ that book back! It’s my friend’s and it’s very important!” she said, her foot scuffing against the bark until it found a suitable ledge.

 

“Get down from there, it’s dangerous!”

 

Pacifica climbed on, drowning out the gnome’s warnings. It wasn’t so hard a climb - much easier than any other tree she’d climbed in her life (of which there were few). The jutting books and bark made numerous natural hollows she could grab. Additionally, there were a few objects that were definitely _not_ books that she managed to propel herself along with. She passed by a bicycle tire the tree had almost completely swallowed, and either an old, ratty sweater, or a relatively intact scarf.

 

 

She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to _do_ when she reached the captive book. She hadn’t exactly had time to plan out this book rescue. It didn’t look very securely held, though. Surely it wouldn’t be too difficult to just yank it and be on her way.

 

Below, the gnome was still hollering away. His voice didn’t even register as Pacifica clambered higher and higher. She didn’t dare look down, not until she finally reached the nook where the third journal was nestled. The ground wasn’t as far away as she’d thought, but still a back-breaking drop from where she perched. She was about halfway up the tree, she thought. The gnome looked even more impossibly tiny from here.

 

“Alright now, uh… _Arbarchive_. I really, really need my friend’s book back, so, I’m sorry, but… I’ll be taking it back now.” Pacifica said, trying to sound gentle and pacifying, instead of exhausted and out of breath. Carefully, she reached out and put her hand against the book’s spine.

 

The reaction was instantaneous. Two of the thick roots, still green at the tip, rocketed up from the ground and swatted at her fingers. Pacifica withdrew her stinging hand with a sharp squeak, teetering where she was roosting and almost losing her grip on the tree. The roots hovered close by. If they’d had eyes, Pacifica knew they would be glued on her.

 

She let out a shallow breath. “Well, that didn’t work.”

 

Below, the gnome was shouting more fervently. She turned to look down at him, straining to hear his words.

 

“What did I tell you?! What did I say?! It’s dangerous, get down now!”

 

She eyed the journal, and then the roots - still poised to attack. Just beyond them, jutting out of the tree, was what appeared to be the end of a child’s butterfly net. Her eyes focused, and for a moment, she stared. Carefully, she slipped her injured hand into one of her coat pockets, sore fingers closing carefully around its contents.

 

“Hey, mister gnome?” Pacifica shouted, wary of the looming roots as she glanced downward.

 

The gnome’s ongoing warnings halted, and he called back up to her. “Yeah?”

 

“You said this tree feeds on _stories_ , right?” she asked.

 

Another pause. “Yeah. That’s why it took your friend’s book. Now listen, just come down from there! Just get your buddy another book! Are you listening to me?”

 

Pacifica was not. The gnome’s confirmation was all she needed to have at least a dribble of faith in the bet she was about to hedge. Slow and cautious, she withdrew her handful of trinkets from her pocket, one chain looped around each of her fingers.

 

“So, you like stories, huh? I’ve got one for you. It’s about a girl who spent more than an entire month’s allowance on a treasure trove of useless knick knacks.”

 

The roots didn’t budge. Pacifica chose to take this as a positive sign.

 

“This one,” Pacifica said, hooking a small silver owl into the tree’s bark, “was one of the first charms the girl bought. Owls are supposed to represent wisdom and knowledge, so the girl bought it hoping it would be an intelligence-booster. Obviously, since she continued to buy faulty charms, it was not.”

 

Still no response; Pacifica continued, slipping another keychain around a notch in the tree, and then another, and another. “This one is just a bunch of feathers collected from local birds. These two are both different gemstones - the girl thought they looked a bit like another stone she’d seen before. All of these charms were duds. This one was a heart, coiled with different kinds of metals, for good health. Hard to say if that one actually worked - but it’s more than likely a fake, like all the rest.”

 

Pacifica’s pockets were quickly emptied of the handful of charms she’d brought. The roots still loomed nearby, but they didn’t seem quite so threatening - or at least, that’s what Pacifica told herself. She took a steadying breath.

 

“The girl wanted to help her friend in whatever way she could. He had a journal that told him about secrets in the town, but she didn’t have anything like that. She had to find answers in a different way. She just wanted to help.” Pacifica said, very slowly edging closer to where the third journal was stowed. “She was a bit… overzealous. She should have known that rushing ahead blindly wouldn’t help her or her friend.”

 

The book was close now. She hoped her hunch was right as she very carefully reached out. “She should have known there were better ways to help her friend. Less reckless ways. Ways that didn’t involve blowing a ton of cash on a wild goose chase. In fact, the girl can help her friend out in possibly the _most_ important way, right now.” she said. She carefully placed her hand on the spine of the book again, bracing herself for another attack. When it didn’t come, she tightened her grip. “It’s still a pretty reckless idea, but the girl doesn’t have much of a choice here. She _needs_ to get her friend’s journal back.”

 

Pacifica plucked the journal from its shelf in the tree bark. The roots shuddered, and Pacifica flinched - but they didn’t lunge. At her side, the thick, bulbous bark already seemed to be tugging her keychains closer, more securely into the tree. Pacifica watched nervously as the roots sunk back into the earth, the tree apparently satisfied with her trade.

 

She stood there for a moment, not quite believing that her half-baked plan had actually pulled through. Slowly the weight of the journal in her hand settled her back into reality. She let out a quick, heavy breath and grinned with satisfaction. “Yes!”

 

The descent was much more nerve-wracking than her climb had been. Her arms and legs were shaking as she clambered down the tree. She stumbled when her feet finally hit the ground. Uneasily, she lowered herself to sit on a nearby root before getting on her way. Her adrenaline rush had passed, a minute to rest was all she needed.

 

“Wow, you actually got your book back!”

 

Pacifica had almost forgotten about the gnome. He hobbled over to where she sat, his expression seeming to struggle at staying casual. His voice, however, easily betrayed his astonishment.

 

She flipped the journal over in her hands, staring at it and feeling utterly victorious. “Yeah, I sure did, huh?”

 

“That was really clever, I didn’t think the Arbarchive was going to take up your trade. That journal looks like something real special.”

 

“It is.” Pacifica said, tucking it securely under her arm and trying to stay on the alert, should the tree change its mind.

 

“I’ll have to send some boys out on a literature search - the tree shouldn’t be scrounging so far away for books. It really must be hungry.” the gnome said, glancing over toward the nearest swell in the trunk.

 

Pacifica nodded mutely, the numbness in her limbs starting to fade. She glanced around the grove a bit uncertainly, her eyes landing on where she thought she’d entered from. A bit hesitantly, she said, “Say, uh, you wouldn’t know which direction the town Gravity Falls is from here, would you?”

 

The gnome pointed her in what he assured her was definitely the right direction and Pacifica hastily jogged off. The forest was as dark as when she’d first entered, and the trees had all long since started to look the same, but Pacifica felt strangely at ease. The journal was safe. She’d managed to rescue it. She couldn’t help but grin the entire jaunt back to the Mystery Shack.

 

She saw the sunlight start to filter through as the edge of the woods came up to meet her. That was the Mystery Shack dead ahead - she hadn’t gotten lost! Her steps quickened, first to a jog, and then she broke into a run. She didn’t slow down until she reached where the trees ended. There, she stopped, looking down toward the trunk of a redwood, where her friend lay sprawled gracelessly, his shoelaces both undone, and his vest caught up in one of the low-hanging branches.

 

Gideon Pines looked remarkably calm for someone held captive by (what she hoped was) a normal, non-threatening tree.

 

“How?” was all she asked, as she knelt down to free him from the redwood’s clutches.

 

He only sighed in response. Giving him a second look, Pacifica realized he looked more _completely done_ , than calm. She helped him to his feet, her smile now a bit more tame, and held out the journal. Gideon’s eyes widened.

 

“You actually caught it.” he said, a smile of his own pulling at his lips now.

 

“Oh, it was no big deal.” Pacifica said, shuffling her feet as she grinned.

 

Gideon sighed again as he very carefully took the journal into his own hands. “Seriously, what would I do without you, Paz?”

 

“What _would_ you do without me?” Pacifica echoed. Her eyes lingered on the journal. “You better find a real safe place to store that thing. No more monster journal thieves.”

 

“I will.” Gideon said. He paused, holding the journal back out to Pacifica. “Could you, uh, help me with findin’ somewhere to stow it? And, uh, let’s not do anything else today. That’s enough craziness for me.”

 

Pacifica nodded. “Yeah, sure thing! I was going to say the same thing, actually.” she said with a laugh. “I’m already exhausted.”

 

Gideon looked relieved as they retreated back into the Mystery Shack. They hid the journal at the bottom of a chest in Gideon’s room - Pacifica made sure there were plenty of other books piled on top, just in case.

 

\---

 

Pacifica had long since left, and Robbie had closed up the gift shop not long after her departure. It was approaching evening now, and Gideon was seated where he’d been most of the day - in front of the television.

 

The jackalope foot was still secured around his wrist, and didn’t seem to be coming off anytime soon. He’d been trying to do as little as possible, after the earlier incident, but he didn’t want to become _completely_ immobile. He couldn’t let the likes of a little trinket get the best of him.

 

Still, there was nothing to be done about it. Gideon couldn’t take the charm off himself, and he couldn’t seem to ask anyone about it either. His bad luck seemed to be escalating, if the journal being nearly stolen was anything to go by. Sooner or later something terrible was going to happen, and he’d only be able to stand and watch it unfold.

 

Scuffling footsteps came from down the hall - Gideon glanced over to see Grunkle Stan shuffling into the living room in his slippers. “Evening.” his great-uncle said, glancing from Gideon’s bare head to the charm around his wrist. “You’re still wearing that bracelet?”

 

Gideon shrugged helplessly. “Yeah.”

 

“But not your hat?” Stan asked, walking up to stand beside the armchair. Before Gideon could reply that he’d managed to misplace it, Stan spoke again. “Remember what I said? People shopping for souvenirs are easily influenced by what they see other people wearing. I can’t have my own great-nephew going around wearing some junky charm from the competition, you understand?”

 

Gideon nodded slowly, not sure what Grunkle Stan was getting at, until he held out his hand. “Gimme your wrist, I want to see this charm.”

 

Gideon’s eyes widened as he complied. Stan gripped his arm lightly, toying with the charm for a moment. He undid the clasp with ease, snapping up the chain into his fist as he pulled away. “Cheap piece of junk.” he said, unaware of Gideon’s astonishment. “No more publicity for other tourist traps, alright?”

 

“Yeah, you got it.” Gideon agreed, rubbing at his wrist where the cursed bracelet had hung. “Don’t - don’t, uh… _you’re_ not gonna wear it, are you?”

 

Grunkle Stan laughed. “Me? Wear this? C’mon, I’ve got better taste than _that_.” he said, heading back out the way he’d came, charm bracelet still secure in hand.

 

Gideon stared after him for several long minutes before springing to his feet and scurrying upstairs - not tripping or missing a single step. He couldn’t bring himself to care what happened to the bracelet, all that mattered was that it was _finally_ off his wrist. Pacifica would have to understand when he explained why he wasn’t wearing her gift any longer.

 

He opened the door to his room and was greeted with another surprise. His hat was sitting on his dresser, as if it had never left in the first place. Gideon let out a relieved cry and scooped it up. Everything was looking up again. Giddy from the loss of his bad luck burden, Gideon unearthed the journal from the bottom of his trunk, happy to spend the evening leafing through its thick pages.

 

He was even looking forward to fishing tomorrow.


End file.
